


Depression Hotline, How May I Help You?

by Floral_Morgue



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anxiety, Fluff and Angst, M/M, References to Depression, all depictions of mental illness are based off my own experiences, can be read as platonic, everyone experiences things differently, set during covid 19 pandemic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27444076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floral_Morgue/pseuds/Floral_Morgue
Summary: “Hello there! How may I help you today?”“...”“Uh...hello?”“I can see why you work for a depression hotline.”“Huh?”“Just hearing your voice raises my serotonin.”
Relationships: Corpse Husband & Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 527
Kudos: 3323





	1. Chapter 1

Corpse wasn’t depressed. I mean sure, sometimes he felt empty inside and couldn’t find the motivation to get out of bed, but that was normal. Everyone had those days. 

Yeah, everyone has days where they felt apathetic and unmotivated. Today was just one of those days. Sure he was a little depressed, but he wasn’t _depressed_ depressed, he didn’t “have depression”. He just…… 

The sky was darkening. What did he even do today? He woke up, and then...and then……......and then he waited for the day to pass him by so he could go to sleep again. What about yesterday? And the day before that? He had to have done something productive, something normal, something _human_. 

He rolled over in bed, trailing his fingers over his duvet cover, the fabric warm from his body heat. What would he do if he got up now? It’s not like there was much of the day left. Did he eat today? Does he even want to eat?

He curled and uncurled his fingers, watching the motion detachedly as if the hand didn’t belong to him. The realization that he’d put off buying groceries because he didn’t want to go out in public surfacing through the gunk in his head.

When was the last time he spoke to someone? Who would he even speak to? 

Oh.

Corpse’s eyes fell to a crumpled up post-it note on his bedside table. Last time Jack had been over he left a number for a depression hotline or something like that. Better than nothing, he said, better than wallowing in self pity without even trying to be better.

He picked up the small piece of paper, meticulously smoothing out the wrinkles before staring blankly at the numbers scrawled in ink. 

Just call, he prompted himself, just type the numbers in and hit the green button. It’s not that hard. Why was it so hard?

Trying not to think, Corpse pressed the call button, putting the phone on speaker before dropping it and burying his face in his pillow. Why did he do that? He didn’t want to talk to people right now!

“Hello there! How may I help you today?”

Corpse peeked wearily at his phone, which was now transmitting an overly cheerful male voice.

“Uh...hello?” the voice spoke again, now sounding slightly nervous.

Say something. Anything. Corpse stared miserably at the light his phone cast in the dark room, silently berating himself when his vocal chords refused to work.

“Um, if you don’t want to talk that’s okay!” the voice said, the reassuring resonance of the words easing the tightness in his chest only for his panic to start up again when he realized the man might just hang up if he didn’t speak.

“I had a pretty fine day today,” the voice continued, causing the rush of panic to subside, “I don’t really remember what I did thou- oh yeah! It rained today! I don’t know where you are but it never rains in LA. It’s like...seeing a unicorn or something. Wait no. That’s not a good metaphor. What am I talking about that wasn’t a metaphor at all. It was an analogy? I think?”

Corpse closed his eyes, letting his head lull against the pillow and hoping the man continued to speak. 

“Well, anyway! It was raining, so I decided to take a walk.” the voice sounded very proud of itself, and Corpse felt his mouth curve into a slight smile.

“It’s a good thing, because I never go outside usually. I saw pigeons! I never thought I’d be so excited to see pigeons, but one of them had a cheeto in its mouth! Mouth? Beak? I don’t know, whatever the pointy thing on their face is called.”

Corpse pulled the phone closer, rolling onto his side, “I can see why you work for a depression hotline.” he mumbled, not realizing what he said until after the words were out.

“Huh?” The voice sounded so surprised it was almost cute.

He smiled lazily at his phone, feeling weirdly at ease, “You have a nice voice. Just hearing it raises my serotonin.”

“Oh! Uh, thanks I think! I mean, serotonin is good! Especially if you’re depressed- oh wait no that sounded bad- I meant, if you’re calling this number you must need seroto- nooo no no that sounded worse I think I’m going to stop talking now.”

To his surprise he let out a laugh, the sound coming out genuine and almost fond. When was the last time he laughed?

“No, no, keep talking.” Corpse said, letting his eyes fall shut again, “Tell me about the rain. Or yourself. Just keep talking.”

“Uh, well, it didn’t rain for very long because LA is like that sometimes. I don’t go outside much because I don’t really know how to talk to people. Things like that can be scary sometimes you know?”

“Mhm.”

Corpse curled his fingers loosely around the phone, holding it closer to his chest.

“So I’ve been spending a lot of my time playing games on my computer, there’s this one game where you play as these little pill-shaped people and you have tasks you need to do, but there are also killers…”

Sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains. 

Corpse sat up with a groan, his phone sliding off his chest and plopping onto the bed. What time was it? Scratch that, what _day_ was it?

He got up and trudged towards the bathroom, content to leave the lights off so he didn’t have to see himself in the mirror. He went through the motions of getting ready for the day, letting his mind wander.

It wasn’t until he took the first sip of his coffee that he remembered the events of last night. The phone call representing the only human interaction he’d had in weeks. The man on the other end with a soothing voice and a tendency to ramble in a way that was somehow endearing instead of annoying. 

Corpse unlocked his phone, blinking in surprise when he saw that he had made a one hour call last night. Did the man on the other end talk to him for another hour even after he fell asleep? 

He stared at the numbers on the screen, feeling weirdly touched. Even if the stranger didn’t know he had fallen asleep, having a one sided conversation for an hour seemed like such a hassle. 

A twinge of disappointment pricked at his skin when he realized that the man with the pretty voice had spoken to him for an hour and he had _slept through it_. He let up a puff of air, dropping his phone not so gently back onto the table. 

He took another sip of his coffee, marvelling at how normal he felt. He had slept through the night, gotten up before 9 am, and even made himself breakfast. He glanced at his half eaten slice of toast. Kinda. 

Maybe he could actually do work today? If it weren’t for the pandemic he was 100% sure he would’ve been fired already, but with everyone working from home there was no way for his boss to know he’d been laying in bed and neglecting work for the past week.

Turns out absorbing yourself in the menial demands of white collar work was just another way to let the day pass you by. Despite completing all the work he had accumulated over the week, Corpse felt just as unaccomplished at the end of the day as when he had laid in bed staring at the ceiling.

Not that a job had to be fulfilling. As long as it paid the bills it was fine right? Corpse shut his computer with a sigh, why bother doing anything if he was just going to end up feeling that same emptiness at the end of the day?

He glanced at the clock. 8:34pm. About an hour before he called the number yesterday, would the same person still be working at this time? 

Corpse groaned, was he really considering calling just for the slim chance that he would get to hear some random person’s voice?

On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to try right? The number was in his recents so all he had to do was press it. Press it. 

Or…...he could make dinner. He was kinda hungry. ish. Not really. Which was surprising since all he’d eaten today was two slices of bread and a redbull. 

He could- FUCK! Ow! Why the hell was there a staple on the grou– oh shit. 

He stared helplessly at the three dots appearing and reappearing next to the word DIALING on his phone screen, too frozen in panic to think of just hitting the “end call” button.

“Hello, how may I help you today?”

Corpse’s eyes widened, “It’s you.” he breathed, too in shock to realize that he was just another caller and the person on the other end probably talked to hundreds of peo-

“Oh! Hi! Serotonin guy right?”

Corpse smiled in amusement, the panic dissipating as he walked into his room and laid down on his bed, “Most people would sooner call me a corpse than “serotonin guy”, but yes.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-” the voice on the other end panicked, “Uhm, uh, I mean, hello sir, how are you feeling today?”

Corpse found himself smiling again, charmed by the endearing awkwardness, “I didn’t think I would find you if I called again.”

“Oh yeah!” the voice perked up, “Phone numbers of certain areas are redirected to certain divisions, so you have a good chance of running into me when you call, unless you want to talk to someone else, then I’ll have you redirected.”

“Nah, I’m good. How did you know it was me?”

“You have a cool voice!” the man answered earnestly, “I’m more surprised that you could recognize my voice!”

Corpse’s smile widened, the genuineness of the compliment making him feel warm, “I really like your voice too, didn’t I say that last time?”

“Did you? Uh, thanks! Is- was there something you wanted to talk about? You know, uh, since you called and stuff.”

His smile dimmed, the familiar ceiling suddenly seeming like it was closing in on him, “I don’t know.”

“That’s okay! If you want I can just ramble again! Oh wait nevermind didn’t that put you to sleep last time….uh, then we could talk about random topics! Like Cats! Or pigeons!”

“There are worse things to do than fall asleep to your voice,” Corpse said, reaching over to pluck his headphones off the nightstand, “But I’d rather be awake to hear the things you say this time.”

“Oh! Um, you want me to talk? Uh, I’m not really the most interesting person….I...uh….I had tacos today,” the voice offered, seemingly floundering to find a conversation topic that would stick, “What did you have for dinner?”

“I didn’t.”

“Huh? Why? You have to eat you know-”

“When does your shift end?” Corpse interrupted.

“What? My shift? Ohhh you mean for the phone line, uhhh I usually go until 10pm, but it’s on a volunteer basis so I choose my own hours, why?”

“I’ll just wait until you have to leave to eat.” Corpse decided.

The voice made a disbelieving noise, “Wh- huh? But that’s over an hour!”

“Last time you talked to me for an hour,” Corpse reminded, adjusting the headphones and laying back against the pillow.

“Last time I wasn’t keeping you from sustenance!”

“What, you don’t want to talk to me?” he teased, a bizarre familiarity enabling him to speak freely to this random stranger he didn’t know anything about. Somehow he still found himself smiling at the voice’s flustered protests that followed his remark.

“N-no! I didn’t mean- I like talking to you! Not many people call so it’s good to have company!”

Corpse didn’t even notice his eyes slipping closed, a fond smile playing across his lips as he listened to the voice ramble.

“-I usually volunteer from 6-10pm, but most of the calls come in after midnight. I wish I could help out during those times but I also have work in the morning so I don’t really have time…” the voice trailed off, sounding genuinely sad that they couldn’t help more people.

“Well I’m happy you work when you do, because I wouldn’t have met you otherwise.” Corpse interjected.

“That’s true!” the voice perked up again, bringing another smile to Corpse’s face, “Do you like cats?”

“ _I love cats_.”

~

To Corpse’s dismay he opened his eyes to sunlight streaming through his curtains. Did he fall asleep again?

He barely had time to register the feeling of headphones resting crooked on his head before his stomach protested loudly and painfully at being neglected.

Bathroom. Food. Work. 

_‘Calling the cute guy with the cuter voice,’_ a voice in the back of his head added to the list. 

Corpse ignored it, continuing to go through his list of tasks.

Vacuum the carpet. Laundry. Grocery shopping. 

_‘He starts his shift at six,’_ the voice piped up again.

_‘Shut up,’_ Corpse told it, aggressively taking a bite of his cereal.

Take out the trash. Take a shower.

_‘Apologize to the nice man for falling asleep again.’_

“Shut _up._ ” Corpse said, out loud this time. With a huff he pushed his now empty bowl aside and opened up his laptop, he had spreadsheets to make and codes to debug. He had to finish all his work so he had time later to-

He groaned. Giving up on trying to tame his thoughts. Fine. Maybe he _was_ going to call again. So what if he was? Not like he was bothering anyone right? After all, it was the man’s job to talk to people. 

That’s right. It was his job. It wasn’t like he talked to Corpse because he actually wanted to. He was just a person doing his job. The thought sobered him up, and he turned his attention back to his work, the warm, giddy feeling no longer distracting him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say I was greatly unsatisfied with this chapter but I couldn't figure out how to fix it so I'm just throwing caution to the wind and posting.

Even knowing the man on the other end was only doing his job, Corpse couldn’t help but feel just a little bit excited to talk to him again. Just a little. Almost as soon as the clock hit six, the phone was in Corpse’s hand, his thumb hovering over the call button.

It took less effort to convince himself to press the button this time, the guilt of having fallen asleep while talking _again_ prompting him to at least call and apologize. 

He picked at the rips in his jeans, feeling a bit on edge as he stared at the dial screen of his phone.

“Hello! How may I help you today.” 

The cheerful voice snapped Corse out of his brief haze, and the apology fell out of his mouth before he could remember that it was common courtesy to introduce yourself first.

“ _I’m so sorry_.”

“Mr. Corpse! H-Hi! Hello! Uh– sorry for what?”

A smile broke across his face, sweeping away whatever shards of anxious energy that had polluted his consciousness. Mr. Corpse? Where did that come from?

“Sorry for falling asleep again,” Corpse clarified.

“Oh! That’s no problem at all! I’m sorry for putting you to slee– oh no! That means you never ate dinner!” 

The voice sounded so genuinely distressed that Corpse couldn’t help but feel warmth bloom in his chest. Making his tone as reassuring as possible when he spoke again.

“Don’t worry, I ate before calling you this time.” 

“That’s good,” the voice sounded relieved, “I- is it okay for me to call you Mr. Corpse? Or do you prefer ‘sir’, or…?”

“Just Corpse is fine,” Corpse told him, slightly amused, “Where did you even get that?”

“Um...did you not tell me to call you that? Something about how you preferred ‘Corpse’ to ‘Serotonin guy’? Oh my god did I hear that wrong? Was that not what you said– I’m so sor–”

“No, I actually do prefer Corpse. What about you? What do I call you?” Corpse moved to sit down on the couch, feeling surprisingly relaxed considering he was currently engaging in human interaction, “I can’t just keep on thinking of you as ‘cute guy with the pretty voice’.”

“I- What? Oh, um– I don’t– uh, what?” the person on the other end descended into a stuttering mess, and Corpse felt his grin widen.

“I should compliment you more often if that’s the response I get,” Corpse teased, feeling weirdly bold considering he’d never met this person. Or maybe that was why he felt more comfortable, who knows. 

“No one’s told you your voice was pretty?” 

“I– you– um, thank you. I, uh, no one’s ever– yeah…”

“Name.” Corpse reminded.

“Oh yeah! I never introduced myself. Um, my name is Sykkuno! I’m 27 and I work at my grandma’s bakery!”

“ _That’s so cute_.”

“Huh? I– what?”

Corpse laughed, not even bothering to feel self-conscious about how it sounded, “Everything about you just seems so...out of an anime or something. Right down to that anime protagonist voice of yours.”

“Oh, uh, thank you–” Sykkuno broke off, a muffled giggling sound coming through the receiver, “Sorry, I’m not used to– I never– yeah, uh, thanks I think? Was that a compliment?”

“Yes.” Corpse responded, not sure whether to sound incredulous or amused, “When someone calls you cute it’s generally a compliment.” 

“Huh? When did you call me cu– uhm, so, uh, anyway, how are you feeling today?”

Corpse’s mood dimmed slightly, the words just a bitter reminder that Sykkuno wasn't his friend. He was a person doing his job, and Corpse, with his delusional mind, and twisted it into something it wasn't.

Why was he calling again? It wasn’t like he needed it. He wasn’t even depressed today. He did his work. Worked out. He slept and ate like a normal person. No anxiety attacks. No depressive slumps.

Was he being selfish? Calling when he didn’t even really need it? 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Sykkuno soothed, sensing the shift in mood and pulling Corpse out of his thoughts.

“You don’t need to justify anything,” he continued softly, the warm resonance of his voice taking the edge off the sudden pain in Corpse’s chest, “If you felt the urge to call then your reason is just as valid as any other. Maybe forget about the rest of today, how are you feeling right now?”

“Guilty.” Corpse answered honestly.

“Do you know why you’re feeling that way?” Sykkuno asked. His voice shifted into a smooth, tranquilizing tone, which mollified the anxiety beginning to circulate through Corpse's bloodstream, staving off the panic attack clawing its way up his esophagus.

“I feel like a burden,” Corpse admitted, “I know I can function normally. I did that today. And yesterday. I don’t need to be doing things like calling depression hotlines. I don’t- I don’t even want to hurt myself. I’m not depressed. I don’t need this.”

“Corpse.” Sykkuno said, tone painfully gentle, “Just because you feel like you aren’t suffering as much as some people doesn’t mean you aren’t suffering. Things like depression aren’t cut and dry, there’s no one size fits all. Even if you feel like you can deal with something yourself doesn’t mean you aren’t deserving of help. And you’re not a burden. Not to me at least.”

Corpse didn’t speak, hand gripping the phone so hard it was trembling.

“You don’t have to do it alone, Corpse.” Sykkuno continued, a comfortingly sonorous quality infusing his voice, “If you ever need someone to talk to. Call me. Okay Corpse? My num–”

He stopped, voice ending on a conflicted tone.

“Did I mention that my grandma owns a bakery?” Sykkuno continued after a long pause, voice strained in a way Corpse couldn’t was stress or nerve induced, “Solstice bakery. It’s a nice place. I’m in charge of answering phone calls. Cake always cheers me up when I get sad.”

“Yeah?” Corpse said tentatively, slightly confused by the change of tone and subject, “I’ll try that sometime.”

“Oh yeah! Corpse! Do you like desserts?” Sykkuno chirped, tone back to his usual cheerfulness and a drop of relief trickling through his words, “If you ever visit LA I’ll give you free cake!”

~

“–and then she threw a tomato at my head.”

“Sykkuno, no…...”

Another one of his muffled laughs, “It’s okay, she ended up finding what she was looking for.”

“Not what I was talking about.” Corpse said, letting irritation seep into his voice, “Please tell me you didn’t apologize after she assaulted you in the produce section of Whole Foods.”

“Of course I apologized!” Sykkuno said, not seeming to register the annoyance in Corpse’s voice, “It’s my job to help the customers find things, it’s normal for her to be upset if I’m not doing my job.”

“There’s being upset and there’s launching a projectile at your head.”

“Oh!” Sykkuno’s tone changed slightly, finally seeming to detect the irritation suffused through Corpse’s voice, “That’s a bit– ‘projectile’ is a strong word...I...I mean, it was a tomato! And it didn’t even hit me. Not really.”

“You’re too nice,” Corpse sighed, shifting to a more comfortable position on the couch before stifling a yawn, realizing belatedly that he should’ve moved the phone away so Sykkuno wouldn’t hear the sound.

“Oh, are you tired? It’s already ten- oh my god I never even asked which time zone you were in I’m so sorry is it late for you?”

“Relax,” Corpse chuckled, smiling softly to himself as he listened to Sykkuno panic over nothing, “You said you lived in LA right? We’re in the same time zone.”

“Oh.” Sykkuno breathed, relief cutting through his brief panic, “But it’s still past 10 pm, you should sleep, especially if you’re tired.”

“Trying to get rid of me huh?” Corpse teased, “I see how it is.”

“Wah– No! I’m not– I wasn’t–” Sykkuno sputtered, sounding almost indignant, “I wouldn’t– I like talking to you! But sleep is also important, right Corpse? You see, if you rest well, then you won’t fall asleep when we’re talking!” 

“You’re right,” Corpse conceded, almost startling himself with how immensely _fond_ he sounded at the moment. He wouldn’t be surprised if Sykkuno could hear him smiling.

“I course I’m right– no, I’m kidding, I was just kidding– I, um, good night?”

Maybe Corpse was imagining it, but he thought he could hear Sykkuno smiling too.

“Yeah. Goodnight Sykkuno.”

“Goodnight! Sleep well Corpse.”

The room went quiet, leaving Corpse to smile idiotically at his phone in the silence of his now dark living room. He knew that once the giddiness wore off, his brain would sift through every word exchanged and berate him for every other sentence he said.

In an effort to distract himself from the voice beginning to scold him for swearing in front of the embodiment of wholesomeness, he pulled up his browser and typed Sykkuno’s name in. This was okay right? Everyone did this right?

Feeling weird about the situation, he deleted Sykkuno’s name and instead typed in ‘Solstice Bakery’. 

He was just looking up a bakery a friend recommended to him, nothing weird or stalker-y about that. It was a step down from searching up an actual person at least. 

‘Solstice bakery, a small, family run bakery-café with breads, cakes, and other confectioneries fresh baked daily.’

And there it was. On the right side of the search results under a picture of the storefront and the 4.6 star rating. The nine numbers sat innocuously on the screen, and all Corpse could think about was how Sykkuno had said he was in charge of taking phone calls. 

Was there any excuse that would make it socially acceptable for Corpse to call that number right now? If he did dial that number would he hear Sykkuno’s voice on the other end?

No. Nope. He had already used up his daily quota of stupidity when he voluntarily initiated a four hour phone conversation via depression hotline. He was cutting himself off here.

Reaching out to shut his laptop, his eyes fell on yet another damning set of numbers. The five numbers tacked on the tail end of the address stared back at him. WHAT THE ACTUAL FU–

Breathe, he reminded himself, only vaguely worried about the fact that he could currently hear his heartbeat. 

Okay. Okay. Same zip code. That was fine. Copy. Google maps. Paste. Directions. Choose starting point. 20 minute walk. Shit.

20 minutes. Barely over a mile. 

Corpse closed his computer and buried his face in his hands. He needed to think. No making impulsive decisions. Sykkuno probably talked to dozens of people–

_But today he only talked to you. Four hours. His entire shift._

Okay fine, Sykkuno _usually_ talks to dozens of people–

_He said he’s bored because no one ever calls from 6-10pm._

Okay, but Corpse was still just another per–

_He remembered your voice._

But–

_And the comment you made about serotonin._

Maybe–

_He said to call him anytime._

W–

_Also he likes cats._

Corpse ran his hands through his hair in irritation, why was his brain being difficult? Did it want him to get his hopes up? 

He hauled himself off the couch and trudged towards the bathroom, clicking on the lights and looking at himself in the mirror for the first time in weeks.

Corpse blinked in surprise at his reflection. The bags under his eyes were faded and the grey hue usually staining his complexion had all but lifted. Color had returned to his lips, which were still curved upwards in the ghost of a smile.

He looked…...normal? Alive? Maybe even a little bit happy. 

Was he happy? He definitely didn’t look sad anymore, now that his eyelids no longer drooped in the way that made him look like he was perpetually somber and mad at the world.

He was no longer numb. No longer numb to the frustrations of work, the discomfort of sitting at his kitchen table for five hours, the feeling of accomplishment when he finished a task. It was no longer hours upon hours of monotonous apathy. Not caring whether his body ached. Not caring whether he did well or almost got fired.

Corpse realized with startling clarity that he could actually remember the events of the past few days. He could remember spending half an hour choosing a color scheme for his spreadsheet. He could remember how he felt when he woke up this morning. 

He began to brush his teeth, frowning at himself in the mirror. He...got up this morning? He just…...got...up? No staring at the ceiling? No staring morosely at that one patch of sunlight his curtains couldn’t block? Jesus. If he got any more functional he’d be brewing his own kombucha and waking up at 5 am to watch the sunrise.

Maybe he would actually go grocery shopping this week. Week? Month? When was the last time he went grocery shopping?

Walking back into his room after washing his face, Corpse got into bed and pulled the covers around himself, unconsciously recalling Sykkuno mentioning that his apartment was always cold at night since the heater didn’t work. 

Rolling over reminded him that Sykkuno mentioned sleeping on a tiny bed barely big enough for him to comfortably lay in.

A glance at the ceiling made him remember that Sykkuno had loud upstairs neighbors that never let him sleep at night.

And with his eyes sliding closed and fatigue overcoming his consciousness, all he could hear was Sykkuno’s voice telling him to sleep well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was absolutely terrified by the influx of notifications I got after I posted this but after I was done freaking out I greatly appreciated each and every one fo them. Thank you :)


	3. Chapter 3

“Did you find everything okay today?”

Corpse grunted and nodded, not feeling up to conversing with the cashier at 8 am in the morning. Why did he think this was a good idea again?

A reluctant smile came to his face as the conversation where Sykkuno fretted over his eating habits played in his head. So maybe he did go grocery shopping to quell the mini heart attack Sykkuno had when Corpse told him he had nothing but bread in his fridge. But how could he not? Especially when the other man panicked and fretted over every even mildly self destructive habit Corpse had.

He had forgotten how nice morning walks were. It was fairly quiet and peaceful, since traffic was a lot less obnoxious now that most people were working from home and didn’t have to commute.

Corpse had been down this path probably a thousand times by now. Yet……

He stared at the sign blankly, like it would somehow make sense if he looked at it long enough. Solstice Bakery. Painted in pastel pink. Right across the parking lot of the Whole Foods he had been going to for a good two years now. He had even been a frequent customer at the Starbucks right next door. 

Without thinking, he turned and walked into the Starbucks next door. His heart beat erratically as he grumbled out his coffee order, a plan formulating in his mind.

The outdoor seating area was open, which meant that he could sit there with his coffee and be able to look through the window into the bakery where Sykkuno worked. Corpse grimaced, he was acting like some sort of stalker. Why didn’t he just walk into the bakery and talk to him directly?

Just the thought of in person interaction sent his heartrate up again, and Corpse opted to make the walk of shame to one of the outdoor tables, making an annoyed noise when he realized the decorative plant placed next to the window made it difficult to see the person behind the register.

He awkwardly fit the straw under his mask and took a sip of his iced coffee, trying to be subtle as he tracked the movement inside the bakery next door.

A movement behind the register caught his eye, and he saw a pair of hands reach into the display case and carefully pick up a slice of elaborately decorated cake before sliding the small door shut again. 

Peering through a gap in the leaves of the plant, Corpse could vaguely see a man with black hair moving around behind the counter. Was that Sykkuno? It definitely wasn’t his grandma, but maybe they had other employees?

He could always call. 

A glance through the window told him that there weren’t any customers in the bakery currently, and before he could second guess himself, Corpse dialed the number he had saved into his phone the night before.

He was almost startled when the person behind the counter, presumably Sykkuno, walked towards the window Corpse was currently spying through, coming to a stop just out of Corpse’s line of vision. The brief second of visibility did absolutely nothing to help Corpse formulate a mental image of the man.

“Solstice bakery! How may I help you?”

Shit. Corpse had been so distracted by the movement inside the store that he forgot it was caused by him calling. 

“Hello?” the voice called again.

That was definitely Sykkuno. Even with the customer service filter added onto it, Corpse would recognize that voice anywhere.

Why couldn’t Corpse say something? He had spoken to him for hours last night, why was this any different?

“Um, are you still there?” 

“Yes.” Corpse answered, kicking himself internally when he couldn’t bring himself to say anything else after, leaving an awkward silence instead.

“Corpse?” Sykkuno gasped, voice so full of wonder that Corpse couldn’t help but smile, “Is that- or did I hear that wr- um, hello?”

“Hey Sykkuno.” Corpse greeted fondly, eyes wandering towards the store window again, “Yeah, It’s me. How are you?”

“Corpse! I-I can’t believe you actually called! I didn’t think you would since I didn’t hear anything from you last night.”

“Oh? Were you expecting me to call last night?” Corpse asked, his calmly amused tone worlds away from the giddiness bubbling up inside him at the knowledge that Sykkuno had wanted him to call last night despite having already been on the phone for hours.

“Oh– No! I just– you know, since I mentioned answering to this number… I wasn’t expecting you to of course! So no worries!” Sykkuno laughed, sounding slightly nervous, “Oh, I completely forgot! Did you- um, did you want anything? Like cake...or anything else…...since you’re calling a bakery and all that…”

“How about your number?” Corpse asked, fighting not to choke on his words, “I assume calls to the bakery don’t go to your personal phone.”

He felt as if his pulse contorted his airways shut, forcing him to hold his breath as he waited for a response. A familiar panic and self-hatred skirted around the edges of his consciousness, waiting to flood his senses once something inevitably went wro-

“Of course I’ll give you my number!” Sykkuno’s cheerful voice pulled him back into the present, “My volunteer work with the hotline ends next week, so I was actually hoping we’d find another way of communication! Uhh, do you have a pen and paper? Or, um, a really good memory?”

Corpse laughed, “How about I just give you my number? If you’re taking orders you should have something to write with, correct?”

“Uh, yeah! Umm, wait a second…...okay, go ahead!”

Corpse recited his number, feeling a twinge of relief when he realized he wouldn’t have to be the one to text or call first if he was the one giving his number.

“There you go! I sent a text so you know which number is mine! Do you– uh, did you want to order anything? Oh wait, I have no idea whether you live around here or no- uhm…Forget I said anything! How was your day?”

Corpse laughed, never before had he met someone so awkward and confident at the same time. Confident enough to vocalize his entire stream of consciousness but too awkward to deliver it with any semblance of eloquence.

A smile graced his lips, his gaze resting almost adoringly on the bakery’s window, “If I live within a five mile radius I can order delivery right?” 

He heard a gasp on the other end, “You live nearby? Are you– that’s amazing! I– we take orders for pickup and delivery! Choose anything you want. On the house. I’ll even deliver it myself.” Sykkuno enthused, the sheer, unadulterated delight in his voice tugging at something in Corpse’s chest.

“What if I told you I was outside the door right now?” Corpse slapped his hand over his mouth in horror as soon as the words were out, but his words did their job, and a face appeared at the window, glancing out into the parking lot curiously.

Pulling his hood further over his head, Corpse pretended to drink his coffee and tried to be inconspicuous as he shifted to get a better look at the person now visible through the glass. It’s not like Corpse could see Sykkuno’s face anyway because of the face covering, but he could make out a head of fluffy black hair and a pastel pink and green facemask.

“Don’t tell me you actually looked outside, Sykkuno.” Corpse laughed, trying his best to put a joking tone into his voice, “I was joking.”

The figure moved back out of sight, and Corpse heard Sykkuno laugh, “Ah, th- yeah, that makes more sense, I don’t see why you would- I mean, uh, b-but we make really good cake! And, um you should come by some- oh wait, were you joking about the living nearby thing too?”

“Nah, I’m pretty close by.” Corpse drawled, settling into the conversation with a contentedness he hadn’t felt in a long time, “So, what’s your favorite dessert to make?”

Sykkuno slid effortlessly into a lengthy ramble about cakes and tarts, the initial awkward undertone diffusing. Corpse found that fond smile returning to his face. There was something about listening to Sykkuno talk that made him feel at ease, like the rest of the world and everything bad that came along with it paused for a moment just to hear Sykkuno speak.

The air of contentment that hung around him wavered when he saw someone approach the bakery.

“You have a customer.” Corpse sighed, trying not to sound too disappointed.

“Huh? Wh- oh! Um, I’ll be right back, it’ll only take a second!” 

“No, I should let you do your job.” Corpse said reluctantly, “I’ll hang up now.”

“But we’ll talk later right?” Sykkuno asked, sounding hopeful, “I can call you. Or text you, if that works better.”

The hopefulness in Sykkuno’s voice jabbed at Corpse’s chest, and his voice came out shakier than he would’ve liked when he answered.

“Y-yeah. I’ll talk to you later, Sykkuno.”

“Sounds good!” Sykkuno said brightly, “I’ll talk to you later, Corpse!”

~

Turns out Sykkuno texted just like he talked. Pouring his stream of consciousness onto the keyboard and not even bothering to spell check before hitting send. It was kind of nice, being able to hear someone’s inchoate thoughts. Free of revision and refinement. 

Corpse cursed out loud when he heard his phone begin ringing. He rushed to carefully place his plate of food on the table before snatching his phone off the counter and accepting the call.

“Hello?” Corpse blurted into the receiver, realizing belatedly that he forgot to check who was calling.

“Hi Corpse!” Sykkuno’s voice greeted him cheerfully.

He smiled, leaning against the counter, “Sykkuno.”

“Hi! Uh, w-what are you do- I mean, are you busy right now?”

Corpse glanced over at his forgotten plate of food, “I was about to eat dinner.”

Sykkuno made a slight choking noise, “You- what? It’s 10pm!”

Corpse shrugged, “I wasn’t hungry earlier. What about you? What are you doing?”

“I’m cleaning up! Grandma left for the night so I’m just wiping down everything and taking inventory and stuff. Um, I’ll leave you to eat your dinner then?”

“No, no, you can, um…” Corpse trailed off awkwardly, “I’m not…”

“It’s okay, I can’t really hold my phone when I’m cleaning anyway,” Sykkuno laughed, “I don’t know why I called, just wanted to hear your voice I guess? No– I mean...sorry was that weird? Um, anyways, I’ll hang up now then! Enjoy your dinner!”

“Yeah. Goodnight Sykkuno.” Corpse said, dropping his voice so that it dragged at the bottom of his vocal range, “Sweet dreams.”

A muffled squeak sounded before the line cut off, the atmosphere of the room falling back into a peaceful silence. Corpse chuckled to himself, everything about Sykkuno was just so  _ cute _ . Sometimes he couldn’t believe the man was actually older than him. 

He sat down to eat his food, mulling over the events of the day in his head. It was almost like he was looking at the world through rose colored lenses. Everything was just so…...pleasant? No, pleasant wasn’t the right word. It was just…...not depressing? Not anxiety invoking?

That was it. Everything was just so overwhelmingly neutral. The small irritants on the day simply making him irritated instead of despondent. Sykkuno hanging up making him look back on the interaction with fondness instead of wallowing in the silence that followed.

Was he happy? Or was this just how normal people, with their functioning amygdala and adequate serotonin production, felt everyday?

Corpse let his mind wander and he went through the motions of getting ready for bed, recalling Sykkuno’s lamenting about his hefty water bill as he stepped into the shower. 

Sykkuno fretted rather constantly about his water bill, and Corpse didn’t have the heart to point out that owning 18 houseplants that needed frequent watering probably didn’t help his situation. If Sykkuno ever mentioned wanting another plant, Corpse would recommend a cactus. 

The train of thought led Corpse to his windowsill after his shower. He pulled the curtain open and was unsurprised to see the previously green leaves of the poor plant wilted and shriveled against the dry soil. 

“Sorry.” he told the plant, picking it up and moving it to his desk. He picked up a mug on his desk and poured it’s contents into the pot before realizing it was probably coffee, not water. 

Corpse grimaced and set the mug back down. 

**_i think i just killed my plant_ **

_ lol wat _

**_but it was probably dead already_ **

_ are u getting a new one then? i have 19 if u want one _

**_19?_ **

_ yup!  _

_ got a new one today _

_ did you kno they sell plants on amazon? _

**_i hope its a cactus_ **

_? _

**_nothing_ **

**_goodnight sykkuno_ **

_ goodnight! _

Corpse tossed his phone across the bed and sighed. Sleep. Time to sleep. He grudgingly picked his phone off the foot of his bed and plugged it in before clicking the lights off, and as he closed his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel himself craving sweets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words can't describe that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I see all the comments :) they also fail to describe the crushing feeling of anxiety I feel when I actually have to post (haha just kidding. kind of.)
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse the chapter five typo from last time I was extremely sleep deprived

Nope. Fuck it.

Corpse sat up in bed, throwing off the blankets and swinging his legs over the side. He’d been laying in bed for over an hour but didn’t feel even a little bit closer to falling asleep than an hour ago. 

Pulling on his face mask and pocketing his phone, Corpse headed outside. Maybe he needed some fresh air or something. Or maybe he shouldn’t have eaten so soon before going to bed. 

He let his attention wander as he walked in a random direction, glancing at the sky and trying to recall which stars made which constellations. His gaze roamed over the meager number of stars in the sky, counting a total of 23 stars before he felt his phone vibrate.

_done with work can finaly sleep now_

Corpse stared at his phone in disbelief. What the hell was Sykkuno doing awake at this hour?

**_what the fuck sykkuno why are you awake_ **

_oh ur awake_

_i just finished closing up for the night_

**_if i’d known you were awake i would’ve called you instead of taking a walk_ **

_youre outside right now?_

_why arent you sleeping_

**_can’t sleep_ **

_uhm_

_would talking help?_

_only if yuo want to_

Corpse hesitated, did you want to call? It would be nice to hear Sykkuno's voice, but it was also late and Sykkuno was probably tired since he just got off wor-

“Ow! Fu-” Corpse felt someone crash into him and hot liquid spill onto his arm, quickly soaking through his jacket, “What th-

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry, are you okay? Do you need- should I- uhh-”

A familiar voice derailed his thought process, and Corpse’s hand paused where it was about to peel the now steaming fabric of his jacket away from his skin, opting to stare blankly at the man standing in front of him instead.

“Um, sir?” Sykkuno’s hand reached out slightly, but retracted awkwardly when he made eye contact with Corpse and seemed to remember they were strangers, “You have to, uh, move the clothing away from your skin or it’ll burn. Sir? Are you okay?”

Corpse swallowed nervously, staring at Sykkuno as he would be able to make out his features in the dark if he stared long enough. 

“Um, sir?” Sykkuno tried again, fidgeting nervously with the cup the burning liquid probably came from, “Are you– did you want me to call someone? Does it hurt?”

Reminded of the discomfort searing into his skin, Corpse pulled his sleeve away from his arm, the pain not evident until the relief of it going away flowed over him. He winced slightly, grunting in pain.

Sykkuno flinched, “I’m so sorry, are you feeling okay now?”

“I’m fine Sykkuno,” Corpse responded absently, too focused on the stinging in his arm to monitor the words coming from his mouth.

“Wh– CORPSE?” 

Oh shi– 

Before he could freak out about revealing his identity, Sykkuno grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him down the street.

“I can’t believe– you should’ve– oh my god why– I’m so sorry, why didn’t you tell me it was you earlier?” 

A string of half formed sentences continued to fall from Sykkuno’s mouth. Corpse barely comprehended the rambled words, focusing instead on the hand Sykkuno had wrapped around his wrist.

The sudden show of familiarity as soon as Sykkuno realized it was Corpse soothed an anxiety that Corpse didn’t even know he had. The realization that they were here, in person, and everything was just like it was through the phone made him almost weak with relief.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Sykkuno let go of his hand and the jangle of keys replaced his worried rambling. Corpse looked around, realizing that they were stood in front of Sykkuno’s bakery. 

“Come on,” Sykkuno tugged at Corpse’s sleeve, “I have first aid stuff inside.”

Sykkuno led him back behind the counter and into the dark kitchen, seeming to move automatically as he grabbed the first aid box off the shelf and began tugging Corpse’s jacket off. Corpse made a strangled noise he didn’t know he was capable of making, and Sykkuno snapped out of autopilot, immediately snatching his hand back from the hem of Corpse’s shirt with a yelp.

“I’m sorry!” Sykkuno squeaked, the widening of his eyes barely visible in the dark, “I– uh, um……. everything’sinthatboxI’mgoingtowaitoutsideokaybye.” 

With that Sykkuno disappeared out the door, leaving Corpse alone in the dark room. Biting back a laugh, Corpse removed his shirt and ran cold water over the burned skin. 

It was almost surreal. Just this morning he was stalking Sykkuno from the Starbucks next door and now he was standing inside Sykkuno’s bakery’s kitchen without a shirt and with a first degree burn on his arm. 

“C-Corpse?” Sykkuno’s voice called from the other room, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good.” Corpse clicked the first aid box shut, hearing footsteps as Sykkuno walked back into the room.

“I’m really sorry Corpse. I didn’t mean to do that.” Sykkuno apologized, voice coming out so timid he almost sounded scared. Corpse frowned, what happened to the familiarity from two seconds ago?

“Are you sorry for spilling coffee on me or sorry for trying to undress me in your kitchen?” Corpse joked, satisfied when Sykkuno let out a burst of laughter before devolving into a stuttering mess.

“I– What? I wasn’t– i-it wasn’t– it sounds worse when you put it like that…” 

Corpse felt himself smile, “Not the biggest fan of the burning coffee, but I’d let you do the other thing any day.”

Sykkuno ducked his head, hand moving to shield his face even though it was already covered by a face mask.

“H– Wh– I– Uh– was– umm– I don’t– I…..eh? Um, anyway, did you– Oh! Uh, nice to meet you Corpse!” He stuttered out, “I, uh, didn’t think we would meet like this, what do you– oh yeah!”

Sykkuno disappeared further into the kitchen, calling for Corpse to follow him. Slightly confused by Sykkuno's sudden change of trajectory, Corpse carefully made his way through the kitchen in the dark. Did they not have lights in here?

“Here you go!”

Corpse jumped back slightly when Sykkuno appeared in front of him again, holding out a small cardboard box. 

“It’s a cupcake, I said that I’d let you choose what you wanted but this is the only thing we have right now so…” Sykkuno trailed off, the nervousness from before still lingering.

Corpse took the small box, a warm feeling trickling through his chest, “Thank you Sykkuno.”

“Of course!” Sykkuno’s voice sounded so bright that Corpse was almost disappointed he couldn’t see his expression, “Do you– uh, do you want me to walk you home? I mean, it’s pretty late…”

Corpse raised an eyebrow, “You’re going to follow some guy you just met to his house?”

“No! It’s not like...I wasn’t trying to be creepy or anything,” Sykkuno rushed out, “I wasn’t trying to find out where you live, it’s just...if you wanted to spend more time together, you know……”

Corpse resisted the urge to ruffle Sykkuno’s hair, “I wasn’t accusing you of being creepy, Sykkuno. I was just worried about your willingness to go to a strangers house. You could get murdered.”

Sykkuno tilted his head, “But you're not a stranger.”

Corpse smiled, feeling an almost painful twinge in his chest, “Yeah. I’m not.” he conceded.

“Mhm! Did you want to go?” Sykkuno motioned towards the door, “You don’t have to show me where you live if you aren’t comfortable, we can just walk until we aren’t going the same way anymore.”

“I can walk _you_ home,” Corpse offered, following Sykkuno through the dark kitchen, “I doubt I'd run into any trouble, but you– Ow! Fu–”

Corpse grit his teeth and rubbed at his probably bruised shin, why the hell was it so dark in here?

“Corpse? Are you okay?” Sykkuno fretted, his hands extended and hovering worriedly as if he was scared Corpse would fall over, “I’m sorry, I forgot to move that.”

“I’m fine.” Corpse said, straightening out, “Why is it so dark in here?”

Sykkuno fidgeted slightly, head lowered, “I’m sorry. You just, um, you mentioned not being comfortable showing your face so I thought you might be more comfortable in the dark, so I didn’t turn the lights on. Sorry.”

Giving in, Corpse reached out to ruffle Sykkuno’s hair, “That’s so sweet.” 

Sykkuno laughed, hand moving to cover his face, which was still an unnecessary action since he was wearing a face covering. Was it just a habit?

“It’s the thought that counts then?” Sykkuno said, tone light with humor. He continued to walk, this time clutching Corpse’s sleeve and guiding him around obstacles not visible in the dark. Corpse was almost disappointed when they made it out of the cluttered kitchen and Sykkuno let go.

Sykkuno paused outside the door, glancing up at Corpse before averting his eyes again, “Um, did you want to go home? Or hang out for a bit?”

“You have work tomorrow morning,” Corpse reminded him.

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Sykkuno said, “I don’t have to get up that early anyway, but, um, if you’re more comfortable, we could just talk over the phone once I get home, if being in person is weird.”

Corpse walked alongside Sykkuno, not sure whether he was following Corpse or if they just happened to be going the same way.

“Is being in person weird for you?” Corpse questioned, recalling Sykkuno’s apparent refusal to look in his general direction.

“No! It’s– I like talking to you in person,” Sykkuno reassured, “If I’m acting weird that’s just because I don’t really know how to talk to people.”

Corpse smiled in amusement, “You talk just fine, I’m referring to the part where you refuse to look at me.”

“Oh!” Sykkuno laughed nervously, “It was just– um, I didn’t want to stare because I know you’re a little bit uncomfortable with that and, uh, yeah! I didn’t want to accidentally look at you for too long or something.”

“I wouldn’t mind even if you stared at me,” Corpse said, and found that he meant it, despite generally hating it when people looked at him, “And that definitely didn’t cross my mind, since I’ve been staring at you for a better part of the past half hour.”

Sykkuno giggled, ducking his head and hand moving to cover his face. So that _was_ a consistent habit huh?

“I, uh– I go that way,” Sykkuno gestured towards another path, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You’re going that way?” Corpse asked, stress pulling his voice an octave higher, “That’s the alleyway where half the crimes in this area happen.”

“Uhuh,” Sykkuno nodded, not looking at all bothered.

Corpse grabbed his arm and began walking, “I’m walking you home.”

“Huh? Okay…” Sykkuno didn’t resist, walking close enough to let Corpse maintain a grip on his arm, “Um, we turn left at the end of the street.”

Corpse grunted in acknowledgement, glancing sideways at Sykkuno. He was a lot taller than Corpse had pictured him, his fluffy hair making him look almost Corpse’s height. Still, he was small and thin enough that Corpse didn’t want him walking in dangerous places alone at night. Or maybe it had nothing to do with his stature and he just never wanted anything unpleasant in Sykkuno's general vicinity.

“Umm, Corpse?” Sykkuno started, sounding slightly nervous.

“Yes, Sykkuno?”

Sykkuno moved to walk even closer to Corpse, their shoulders brushing now, “My apartment is kind of...run down. It’s not a nice place. You don’t– I– I can walk the rest of the way myself.”

“Sykkuno. I’m not going to judge you for where you live. Is that what you’re scared of?”

“It’s, uh…” Sykkuno laughed, but it sounded forced, “It’s a bit embarrassing I guess.”

Corpse nudged Sykkuno with his shoulder, “Do you think I’m the type to judge you for that?”

“No…”

“Then let me walk you back, you can introduce me to your 19 children. You said your new plant arrived today right?”

Sykkuno brightened up at that, “Yeah! It’s an orchid!”

Corpse smiled, “Does it have a name?”

“Buttercream.”

“Cute.”

Sykkuno stopped at a door and fumbled in his pockets for his keys before looking up at Corpse, not averting his eyes immediately this time, “Did you want to come in?”

“Uh, sure.” 

Corpse felt a spark of anxiety flare up as he followed Sykkuno into his apartment, what was he doing here? Was it going to be awkward? Should he say something?

Sykkuno paused to leave his shoes by the door and Corpse followed suit, noticing that Sykkuno hesitated slightly before clicking the lights on.

Corpse set his shoes neatly by the door, straightening up in time to see Sykkuno drop his keys onto the table and take off his face mask. Corpse froze, his breath catching in his throat, he hadn’t expected Sykkuno to look like _that_.

Sykkuno noticed Corpse staring, and his hand immediately twitched toward his face mask, “Oh! I’m sorry, that was just habit, I, uh, I could put it back on if you’re worried? I was tested recently so it should be fine, but if you’re more comfortable...uh, Corpse?”

Corpse swallowed, his mouth dry, “I, uh, no it’s fine. Keep it off. Um, I like your plants?”

Sykkuno smiled brightly, his attention sufficiently focused on his orchid not to notice Corpse having a mini heart attack in response to actually seeing Sykkuno smile as opposed to hearing it in his voice.

Corpse trailed behind Sykkuno as he walked around his small apartment, introducing each of his plants as he went.

“This one is Lily, this one is Markov, the big one in the corner is Calculus, and the small one on the table is Statistics.”

Corpse felt a small smile play across his face, “And where can I find Algebra and Geometry?”

Sykkuno giggled at that, “I keep Algebra in my room, and I actually didn’t use Geometry as a name yet.”

He stopped to spray the leaves of a purple veined plant before leading Corpse into his room. The space even smaller and more cramped than the living room. Corpse felt his heart ache slightly, remembering Sykkuno mentioning the leak in the roof and the cold temperatures at night. 

“Here!”

Corpse blinked, snapping back to reality to see Sykkuno smiling at him and holding a green sprig in his hand. He took the clipping carefully, scared that it would somehow die if he touched it.

“Um. Thanks Sykkuno, what is this?”

“It’s a golden pothos vine, they propagate really easily so you can take it back to your house and grow it.” Sykkuno said, looking proud of himself.

Corpse stared down at the delicate looking vine in his hand, “I’m not good with plants. I told you about the whole watering a dead plant with coffee thing right.”

“It’s okay, pothos can take the occasional dose of coffee. Some plants like coffee.” Sykkuno’s eyes were bright, lips curved into a smile as he talked, “Put it in a jar of water, and after it grows roots you can move it to soil. Or you can leave it in the water and it’ll sustain itself for a good year or so depending on how much water there is. Pothos is actually sometimes called devil’s ivy because it’s really hard to kill, it can grow in the darkest places with no problem.”

A warm fondness unfurled in his chest, and with the pothos sprig in one hand and the boxed cupcake in the other, Corpse almost felt like crying. 

“Thank you Sykkuno.” Corpse smiled, almost sad Sykkuno wouldn’t be able to see it under his mask, “It’s almost like this plant was made for me.”

“I’m glad you like it, Corpse,” Sykkuno said, looking so adorably proud of himself that Corpse couldn’t help but feel the urge to ruffle his hair again, and he probably would’ve done it if he didn’t have his hands full.

Eventually his knowledge that Sykkuno had work early in the morning overrode his selfish need to bask in his presence, and Corpse reluctantly left. His disappointment at having to leave was overridden by the slight pout on Sykkuno’s face when he insisted on leaving.

His eating habits were shit enough that he had absolutely no qualms eating the cupcake on the way home. The chocolate cupcake had a carefully piped mound of green frosting on top of it, and a small green sprout constructed of icing sticking out of the top. Corpse almost felt bad about eating it.

_text me when u get home so i kno youre safe_

**_i’m fine sykkuno_ **

**_go to sleep_ **

_are you home?_

**_yes_ **

_okay then_

_goodnight corpse_

**_goodnight sykkuno_ **

Corpse put his phone down, smiling stupidly as he went through the motions of getting ready for bed. He almost got into bed when he remembered the vine cutting Sykkuno had given him.

He lifted it carefully off the counter, nervous despite Sykkuno’s assertion that it was near impossible to kill. He rinsed out an empty redbull can and filled it with water before putting the clipping into it.

Corpse walked back into his room and placed the plant on his desk. He stepped back, gazing lovingly at his can of pothos. This plant that could somehow survive in the darkness of Corpse’s room. He didn’t know such a thing existed. A spot of color, a sprig of life, that could thrive even in the overcast gloom that was Corpse’s life. He would remember to care for it regardless.

He got into bed, and this time exhaustion overcame him almost immediately. The memory of Sykkuno smiling up at him the last image to pass through his mind before his thoughts became incoherent and sleep consumed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankful for each and every comment. I've realized this has become really slow going and wordy so I'll try to fix that moving forward.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad you guys like the pacing because I realized I am fully incapable of writing concisely. Evidently.

“I named it Serotonin.”

Somehow they ended up here again. Standing outside Sykkuno’s bakery at 12am. And then again. And again. And again. Until Corpse was walking Sykkuno home everyday. Until Sykkuno offered to let Corpse stay over one night when closing had dragged on later than usual. He almost wished he had taken the offer.

“I like that name! Did it begin to grow roots yet?”

Corpse shrugged, “I didn’t check.”

Sykkuno descended into a ramble about a new plant he had acquired, an endearing excitement tinging his voice the way it did everytime he talked about plants.

“Oh yeah! I have another plant I think you’d like! Would you want a clipping?”

Corpse raised an eyebrow, “I assume this is another hard to kill plant?”

“Yup!” Sykkuno unlocked his front door and walked in, “Jade plants do need watering, but they also bounce back really quickly even if you forget to water them for a bit.”

“You’re trying to turn me into a plant person aren’t you?” Corpse laughed, following Sykkuno to the only window in the apartment. A succulent-like plant with plump green leaves sat under it.

Sykkuno looked up from his crouched position next to the plant, “You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to, I know gardening isn’t for everyone.”

“No, no, I like it,” Corpse assured, satisfied when that brought a small smile to Sykkuno’s face. He knelt down behind Sykkuno, his chin almost resting on Sykkuno’s shoulder as he watched Sykkuno carefully slice off a piece of the plant.

“Sorry,” Sykkuno told the plant, and Corpse couldn’t help but smile fondly.

“Here you go,” Sykkuno turned around to face Corpse, completely unbothered by their close proximity, “Just stick it in dampened soil and water it periodically. The plant should take root pretty easily.”

Before his anxiety made him second guess himself, Corpse leaned forward slightly and nudged Sykkuno’s cheek in what would have been a kiss if he wasn’t wearing a mask. “Thank you, Sykkuno.”

“Of course!” Sykkuno stood up, holding out a hand to help Corpse up, “Did you have to go or are you staying?”

Corpse took Sykkuno’s hand and let himself be pulled up, bumping their shoulders together once he was in standing position again, “I say this every night, but you have work in the morning. You need your sleep.” Corpse reminded him.

Sykkuno pouted, squeezing Corpse’s hand gently, “We open at 10 on Saturdays. I don’t need to sleep yet.” 

Corpse stared past Sykkuno at the jade plant, trying not to focus on the pouty expression Sykkuno wore, “You have to sleep Sykkuno. Besides,” he turned the jade plant clipping over in his palm, “I have to get this little guy into a pot.”

“Oh yeah,” Sykkuno gave a sheepish laugh, hand coming up automatically to shield his face, “Make sure to keep this one by a window, it can’t survive in the dark like pothos can.”

Sykkuno let go of Corpse’s hand to open the door for him, “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Corpse wrapped his free arm around Sykkuno in a brief, one-armed hug, “Good night Sykkuno.”

“Good night Corpse!”

This was nice. 

Corpse smiled down at the plant clipping he held in his hand, how had he ended up here? How did he even get from bumping into Sykkuno accidentally to walking him home every night? How did he go from having no motivation to clean up after himself to showing up promptly at 10pm every night to help Sykkuno clean the bakery?

Yet here he was. Going to the bakery every night at closing time to help Sykkuno clean up. But the faster that process was over the sooner Sykkuno would be able to get home and rest. That alone made spending his Friday night sweeping floors worth it.

Sykkuno would also give him sweets and pastries as payment for his help. He would even let Corpse try his new concoctions before they were added to the bakery menu. Or gift him loaves of fresh baked bread. He doubted he’d be able to go back to his chemical laden wonder bread after that.

Once he got home he texted Sykkuno the obligatory “I got home safe” text before putting the jade plant into the pot his previous plant had died in. This plant liked coffee apparently so Corpse wouldn’t have to worry if he accidentally poured coffee into it. 

He suppressed his urge to pat the little sprout, remembering Sykkuno’s mini lecture about why plants disliked being touched. Most of the scientific stuff went over his head but he understood enough to refrain from poking at the very poke-able looking leaves.

“Good night,” he told the plant, walking into his room and wishing his other plant good night before crawling into bed and letting sleep take him.

~

Something felt off.

Corpse woke up feeling uneasy. The world was friable around him, as if breathing wrong would result in everything crashing down around him.

Ignore it. 

Bathroom. Toothbrush. Better not to turn the lights on today. 

Kitchen. Breakfast. He set the plate of freshly made eggs and toast on the table and retreated back into the darkness of his room. Why was this happening?

Corpse almost wished he had the spreadsheets and algorithms of menial white collar work to occupy him right now. Excel. Javascript. Python. 01001001 01010100 00100000 01001000 01010101 01010010 01010100 01010011–

Ignore it.

Laundry. Vacuuming. Clean the bathroom. Clean the shower. Throw his uneaten breakfast in the trash, wash the dishes.

A loud crash sounded, and Corpse realized he had thrown a plate onto the floor. 

It was as if that sound lit a fuse inside him, setting off an impulse that laced painfully through his consciousness. His heart squeezed painfully, and a numbing fear diffused through his capillaries and into his flesh, leaving him brittle with exhaustion. He stumbled to his room and stared miserably into the darkness.

None of this made sense. He had been doing everything right. He was sleeping eight hours a night. Eating three meals a day. Doing his work. Exercising. Socializing. Acting like a normal fucking person. He was supposed to be better.

Yet here he was, standing in the darkness of his room, his mental state as frangible as the plate he just smashed against the tile floor of his kitchen. 

Without thinking, he picked up the nearest object and flung it across the room. Anger burned across his skin, scattering itself across the room as Corpse continued to hurl things at the walls. Scissors. Book. Pencil. Pillow.

A jolt of terror doused his anger when he saw the pillow skid across his desk, coming just short of the pothos plant standing dolefully on his desk. As if he had been submerged in water, Corpse gasped in shock, suddenly painfully cognizant of everything around him. 

“I’m sorry.” he whispered, a bittersweet taste in his mouth as he narrowly refrained from touching the plant in consolation. He’d have to clarify with Sykkuno as to why exactly they didn’t like being touched. 

Sykkuno. Had he spoken to Sykkuno today?

He dug his phone out from where it had fallen behind the nightstand. 

_good morning corpse!_

_we have a new employe now so i have more time off :D_

_dont feel like you hav to respond if youre busy_

_i hope your day is going okay so far!_

_you can always talk to me if its not_

Corpse sighed, what was he supposed to do? Sykkuno would definitely know something’s up if he didn’t show up at closing like he usually did. But he also didn’t want to show up in his depressive state and burden Sykkuno either.

He could lie and say he’s busy. 

Corpse’s fingers hovered over the screen, debating whether he should say anything at all. On one hand he really didn’t want to lie to Sykkuno, but on the other hand it would probably be hurtful if he just completely ignored him.

He snarled out loud, resisting the urge to throw his phone at the wall. What the actual fuck was he doing? Sykkuno was a friend wasn’t he? Corpse had spoken to him about mental health many times, hell, they met on a goddamn depression hotline.

Just talk to him.

No, you’ll just be annoying.

He said you could talk to him anytime.

He’s just being polite.

Don’t be a burden.

He said you aren’t a burden.

He hates you.

It’s exhausting dealing with you.

He’s not your therapist, just talk to him once you’re normal again.

Corpse jolted in surprise when his phone rang, and for a moment his worries retreated and let him accept the call.

“Hello?” Corpse said, immediately flinching when his voice came out shaky and sounding raspier than usual.

“Corpse! Hey! Uh, are you busy?”

“No.”

“Oh! Um, that’s good, I didn’t want to be bothering you or anything…...I wasn’t sure whether to call or not since you haven’t responded and, uh, I didn’t know if you had work…?” Sykkuno trailed off nervously, and Corpse could almost imagine him fidgeting the way he always did when he felt awkward.

Corpse forced out a laugh, “Oh, I just forgot to charge my phone.” he lied, “Did you need something?”

“No, I just, uh, we close at 8pm on Saturdays, and I was wondering if you wanted to, um, hang out or something?”

“Of course,” Corpse couldn’t help but feel soothed by the stability of having Sykkuno present in the moment with him, his previous worries shrinking back into his subconscious, “I’ll be there when your shift ends.”

“Umm, Corpse? Uh, when was the last time you checked the time?”

“Huh?” Corpse lowered his phone and checked the time. 8:32pm.

“Oh, fuck. I’m so sorry Sykkuno, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Corpse swore under his breath, rushing to locate his keys and find his mask.

“No, no! It’s fine! You have to- Um, I can come to you? I’m already outside anyway, you don’t need to get up or anything. If you don’t feel like hanging out tonight that’s fine too, no worries.”

Corpse paused by the door, hand resting hesitantly on the doorknob. 

“Yeah, you can come over if you want.” he said finally, “I’ll text you my address.”

“Okay!”

“Um, just a...just a warning, uh, I’m not really feeling too well today, so I won’t be much fun.” Corpse tried for a laugh but the sound stuck stubbornly in his throat.

“That’s fine,” Sykkuno assured, “Um, did you want me to bring you something then? Cake?”

“No, just…..” A swell of anxiety hit him. Now that the possibility of having someone next to him, someone warm, someone alive, was shoved into his mind, he couldn’t make it go away. Having felt the comfort of Sykkuno’s presence before only served to make his absence more pronounced now. 

Not trusting himself to continue speaking, he hung up and sent his address before shoving his phone aside and burying his face in his pillow. Why did he do that? He shouldn’t have done that. Sykkuno was kind. Kind and warm and caring. He didn’t need Corpse dragging him down into his darkness.

Corpse was alone. That was nothing new. It was selfish of him to bring somebody else into it. He could do this himself. He had been doing this himself. He was alone. He had always been alone. But at the same time he had also been so pathetically lonely. Wallowing in his own self-hatred and not even _trying_ to help himself. All of this was self-inflicted–

“Corpse?”

Corpse jolted into a sitting position, a weird amalgam of excitement, hope, and fear transfusing his consciousness. He fumbled for his mask in the dark and pulled it on before rushing to the door. How did Sykkuno get here so quickly?

He pulled the door open to see Sykkuno smiling at him, the way the porchlight illuminated his face a painful contrast to how lightless the interior of Corpse’s house was. This was his last chance. Last opportunity to turn Sykkuno away before he fully entered the overcast space that was Corpse’s life.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Sykkuno’s eyes widened in concern, and without asking permission he pushed past Corpse into his house, grabbing Corpse’s sleeve to pull him along.

“Corpse,” Sykkuno tugged insistently at Corpse’s sleeve when he stood frozen in place, “Come on, you should sit down. I’ll get you some water. Have you eaten?”

“I……” Corpse felt dazed, not completely sure what was happening.

Sykkuno reached around Corpse to pry his fingers off the door knob. He shut the door quietly and gently ushered Corpse towards the couch, “Come on,” he coaxed, “Sit down.”

“I’m fine Sykkuno.” Corpse said, but he let Sykkuno guide him towards the couch, “How did you get here so fast?”

Sykkuno met his gaze, eyebrows creased with worry, “You’re shaking, Corpse.” he informed, “Sit down.”

“Oh.” Corpse sat down without protest. He watched as Sykkuno put the box he brought into the fridge, tossing his phone, mask, and keys on the kitchen counter on the way. Seemingly unbothered by the complete darkness of the house.

It was strangely calming watching Sykkuno move so comfortably around Corpse’s house. He fished a mug out of the sink and began washing it as if it wasn’t weird to be doing dishes your first time visiting someone’s house. After it was clean, he filled it with water and returned to where Corpse was seated.

“Here, drink this.”

Sykkuno curled up on the couch, making a point of keeping his back to Corpse to give him privacy as he sipped at the water. 

Corpse placed the cup onto the table next to the couch, reaching to pull his mask back up before deciding to just discard it altogether. 

“Sykkuno.”

“Hey Corpse.” Corpse could detect a slight smile in his voice, even if he couldn't see it in the dark, “How are you feeling?”

“Shitty.”

“Mm.” Sykkuno shifted so that he was curled up right next to Corpse, resting his head slightly against his shoulder, “Did you want to talk about it?”

Corpse sighed, “There’s nothing to talk about. It’s just my brain. Doing things for no reason. Nothing bad happened. I just…”

“That’s okay.” Sykkuno said, voice slightly muffled by Corpse’s jacket, “It doesn’t have to be something that happened to make you feel bad. It could just be one of those days where everything feels overwhelming.”

“Yeah. That’s…...accurate.” 

“Sometimes just talking helps. You talk and talk and then it just comes out. You don’t have to say anything, but if you want to I’m here to listen.”

Corpse took a breath and leaned into Sykkuno’s touch, the solid warmth helping keep him grounded.

“I thought I was getting better.” Corpse began, his voice quiet, “But I woke up this morning...and…...everything just seemed wrong again. I felt like a ticking time bomb. Like I was delicate and there was only a matter of time before I shattered.”

Sykkuno trailed his hand along Corpse’s arm until he located his hand in the darkness, twining their fingers together. A quiet gesture of reassurance.

“I felt so helpless. Even after everything I just ended up back where I was,” Corpse spat out bitterly, “Nothing makes a difference. No matter what I do, I just end up here again. Whether I lay in bed doing nothing or go outside and try to live. Nothing’s ever going to change the fact that my mind is fucked up and there’s always a mental breakdown about to happen.”

Corpse didn’t even realize he was crying until a hand brushed the wetness away from his cheek.

“But things _are_ different right? You clean your house, go out and meet people, take care of yourself. All that can seem like it was for nothing in the moment. But once it passes, your house will be clean, you’ll have food in your fridge, and I’ll be here. None of that is going to go away.”

Something about the sound of Sykkuno’s voice. The soft, comforting tone. The intonation of worry. The wholehearted concern. The way all of that was directed towards Corpse. It sparked an overwhelming feeling of guilt. He didn’t deserve this. There was no way this would last. No way he would stay.

“Hey, hey,” Sykkuno soothed, cupping his face and gently brushing away the renewed influx of tears, “That’s not true. None of that is true. Don’t think like that. No more thinking like that.”

Corpse hated himself more than ever. How could he say something like that? Sykkuno was too nice, too kind and caring. He was practically guilt tripping him into staying.

Sykkuno laughed lightly, pushing Corpse’s hair away from his face and resting his forehead against Corpse’s, “I’m not that gullible, Corpse. I’m here because I care about you. Not because you made me feel obligated to stay or because you’re manipulating me. I want to be here. I can make my own choices, and I’m choosing to be here with you.”

Corpse went silent. It was as if the thoughts in his head were stripped of the words that described them, and there was nothing left for him to do except sob wordlessly.

Sykkuno brushed another tear from Corpse’s cheek, leaving a kiss in its place. He repeated the action as Corpse continued to cry, and soon his attention shifted from the droplets searing their way across his skin to the soft press of lips that followed.

He didn’t even notice he had stopped crying until Sykkuno pressed a final kiss to his forehead and pulled back.

“I’ll go refill your water okay? You need to hydrate.”

Corpse immediately wrapped his arms around Sykkuno’s waist, pulling him back and burying his head against his chest.

“No.” he mumbled, “Fuck hydration.”

That pulled a laugh out of Sykkuno, and after a few seconds he gave up trying to stand up and let Corpse pull him into his lap.

“How are you feeling now?”

Corpse rested his head against Sykkuno’s chest, feeling a pair of hands move to his hair and gently began detangling it, “Sad. But in a more coherent way this time.”

He felt Sykkuno’s chin brush the top of his head as he nodded, “That’s okay. Did you want to talk about it?”

Corpse tightened his grip and Sykkuno shifted to accommodate him, hands continuing to thread through his hair even after it was untangled.

“I just realized that things aren’t going to change.” Corpse said, relieved when his voice came out steady, “It’s going to be like this forever.”

Sykkuno made a noise of protest, “That’s not true! It’s like…...um, for example, if my presence were to make you happy–”

“Your presence _does_ make me happy.”

“Oh. Uh,” Sykkuno cleared his throat awkwardly, sounding slightly flustered, “Okay then, uh, for example, my presence makes you happy on your good days, so wouldn’t it make your bad days less bad too?”

Corpse smiled, “Yeah. It does.”

“Well that concept applies to other situations too! Maybe you’ll still have bad days, but if you work to make changes in between, then each bad day will be different from the one before, hopefully in a positive way. Right Corpse?”

“Yeah…...it’s just….you can’t be the _only_ good thing in my life. I can’t be dependent on you to fix my problems.”

Sykkuno hummed in agreement, “I know that. I’m not here because I think I can fix your problems or anything like that. I’m just here to give you support as you work through them yourself.”

He paused for a moment, thinking, “It’s like having crutches! Your leg will still heal without them, but being able to move around while you’re healing is more fun, right? The crutches aren’t going to heal your leg for you, but it’s still nice to have them.”

Corpse laughed, the movement causing his head to bump into Sykkuno’s chin, “You’re so smart Sykkuno. That was so much better than that math analogy you made yesterday.”

Sykkuno let out a small giggle, and Corpse could feel one of Sykkuno’s hands move to do that thing where he covers his mouth, “I’m glad it made sense.” he said proudly, “Did you, uh, it’s kinda late. Did you want to sleep?”

Corpse lifted his head from Sykkuno’s chest and looked up at him, “Do you need to leave?”

“Huh? Oh, no, I don’t– I just…...you need your rest, and I don’t wanna keep you from anything……” Sykkuno trailed off.

“Ah, okay. Do you want to stay then?” Corpse asked hopefully.

“Um, sure! I-If that’s okay.” Sykkuno smiled, the expression barely visible in the dark.

Corpse finally loosened his grip on Sykkuno’s waist, letting him clamber awkwardly off Corpse’s lap into a standing position, “The bathroom’s through that door and to the right. I think I have a spare toothbrush in one of the cabinets.”

“Okay!”

“Careful,” Corpse called after him, “It’s even darker in my room. Watch your step.”

Corpse reached for his phone before remembering that he left it on his bed in the other room. Standing up with a groan, he trudged into the kitchen and rinsed his face in the sink. He felt weirdly at ease considering he had just cried his eyes out.

He spotted Sykkuno’s phone on the counter and checked the time. 11:03 pm. Had it really been that long since Sykkuno came over?

Remembering the box Sykkuno brought upon arriving, Corpse opened the fridge and glanced inside curiously. He opened the cardboard box to see two glass cups filled with layers of brown and darker brown.

“That’s coffee mousse.” Sykkuno’s voice piped up, “You probably shouldn’t eat that right now though.”

Corpse chuckled, “Got it.” he pressed a kiss to the side of Sykkuno’s head as he walked by, “I should have pillows and other sleeping shit in one of the closets in my room. Feel free to rummage around.”

He walked into the bathroom, feeling a hint of amusement when he realized he didn’t recall seeing any light from under the door. Had Sykkuno fumbled around the bathroom in the dark? He really was so precious sometimes.

“Sykkuno?”

“Yeah?”

“Where are–” Corpse walked back into the living room to spot a silhouette sitting on the couch, “Are you sleeping on the couch?”

The silhouette tipped its head, “Yes?”

“No you’re not.” Corpse walked over and reached out for Sykkuno’s arm in the dark, tugging him to his feet, “This couch is like, five feet long. You can sleep in my room.”

“Oh, you want me to sleep with you?”

Corpse made a strangled choking noise, “W-What? Did you just–” Corpse stared blankly at Sykkuno, who didn’t seem to register what he had just said.

“Hm?” Sykkuno stood there, an air of confusion surrounding him, “What?”

“Nothing Sykkuno, just…” Corpse cleared his throat and continued walking, “Yeah, you can sleep in my bed. We can share if you’re comfortable. Or I can sleep on the carpet.”

“I’m not going to let you sleep on the carpet!” Sykkuno sounded almost indignant, “It’s your house.”

Corpse snorted, flopping down onto his bed and scooting to make room for Sykkuno, “Says the person who offered to sleep on the ground just two days ago.”

“Oh. That. Uh, I mean– it’s just– my place is already bad enough, I couldn’t let you sleep on the ground on top of all that!” Sykkuno laughed awkwardly, “Uh, I’m sorry if I made it weird by offering. Or made you feel pressured to accept.”

Corpse rolled over to face Sykkuno, “Don’t be like that, I like your place. I would’ve stayed if you had just let me sleep on the floor instead of insisting on giving me the bed. I probably wouldn’t have fit in that bed anyway.”

“Probably,” Sykkuno agreed, “But you don’t have to feel bad about not liking my apartment. _I_ don’t even like my apartment.”

Corpse shifted closer and slung an arm over Sykkuno’s waist, nuzzling against his shoulder, “Stay here then,” he mumbled, voice coming out sleepy sounding, “You like it here right?”

“I like it here.”

“Mhm,” Corpse felt exhaustion seep through his body, slurring his words together, “I like you here too.” 

Sykkuno let out a quiet laugh, “Goodnight Corpse.”

“G’night Sykkuno.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My depression really just vomited all over my writing. Hope you enjoy anyway!
> 
> I save comments so I can read them when I feel sad, thank you to everyone who left one :)


	6. Chapter 6

Corpse rolled over with a groan, blinking blearily at the ceiling. With blackout curtains over every window, it took a few minutes of searching for any light filtering in between them for Corpse to determine that the sun was indeed up already.

“Oh shit.” Corpse suddenly recalled the events of last night, “Wh–”

Did Sykkuno sleep over last night? Or was he remembering wrong? 

Brain still slightly fogged with sleep, he reached out to the other side of the bed. Corpse sat up in confusion when he found that no one was there. Did Sykkuno already leave then? Would he leave without telling Corpse?

A clattering sound came from the other room.

“Sykkuno?” Corpse called.

There was a moment of silence before a voice sounded in the other room, “Uh, yes?” 

Sykkuno’s voice had an adorably panicked edge to it, and Corpse couldn’t help but laugh as he got up to see what was happening.

He walked into the living room to see Sykkuno fumbling around in the kitchen, not completely aware of Corpse’s presence yet.

“Good morning Sykkuno.” Corpse greeted, a hint of laughter still in his voice, “Wh– what?”

“Corpse! Oh, uh…” Sykkuno turned to face him, “I was…..cooking. Yeah.”

Corpse raised an eyebrow, “In the dark?”

“Oh! I just wasn’t sure if you would be comfortable with me opening the curtains, since, you know, you prefer having it dark…”

Corpse snorted, “I’m not a vampire Sykkuno. I do usually keep my living room well lit.”

Sykkuno muffled a giggle, turning back to continue rinsing off a spatula while Corpse walked around him to open the curtains and let some light in.

Corpse hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Sykkuno’s shoulder and glancing at the pile of dishes in the sink, “What did you make?”

Sykkuno jolted slightly from hearing Corpse’s voice so close to his ear, “I, uh, I didn’t know when you’d be awake so I didn’t want to make breakfast and let it get cold you know? So I thought I would make something that you could just heat up later! Um, It’s in the fridge.”

“Aww that’s so sweet. Thank you Sykkuno.” Corpse smiled warmly, suppressing a laugh when he saw Sykkuno’s face flush slightly.

Sykkuno squirmed slightly and Corpse loosened his grip to let Sykkuno turn and face him.

“I mean, I just wanted to–” Sykkuno broke off mid sentence, eyes widening and mouth slightly open as if he forgot what he was about to say.

Corpse tapped his finger lightly against Sykkuno’s spine, “Earth to Sykkuno?”

“Oh!” Sykkuno laughed nervously, their close proximity preventing him from ducking his head the way he did when he was embarrassed, “That, um, it’s just, uhhh it was my first time actually seeing your face clearly and you were smiling and uh, yeah. I just– I didn’t mean to– Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You’re, uh, you look good?” 

The string of words fell from his mouth so quickly it took Corpse a moment to fully comprehend them, his smile widening when he did. 

“I’m flattered,” Corpse laughed, “Don’t worry about it Sykkuno. I would probably react that way if you ever let me see your face when you smile.”

“Eh?”

“The face covering thing you do? Whenever you laugh?”

Sykkuno gave a nervous smile, “Oh! That... I just, it’s a habit?” 

“Don’t worry, I think it’s cute.” Corpse reassured, releasing his grip completely and moving to lean on the counter instead, “You have work today right?”

“Mhm.” Sykkuno began to put the newly washed pots and pans away, either unaware of or unperturbed by Corpse watching him move around the kitchen, “I should be there by 9 to help open so I should probably leave soon.”

Corpse frowned, was it not 9am yet? 

“What time is it?”

“Uhh,” Sykkuno glanced at his phone, “8:12am.”

“Are you serious?" Corpse asked, slightly disbelieving, "No wonder my brain is still half asleep. I never wake before noon after a night like that.”

“You should go back to sleep then,” Sykkuno pushed Corpse gently in the direction of his room, “I have to go anyway, you can catch up on your sleep and I’ll see you later?”

“It’s fine Sykkuno, I'll walk you to work.”

The hands on his back pushed more insistently, “No, Corpse, you need sleep.”

“Nooooooooooooooo.........”

Sykkuno giggled at Corpse’s almost childish sounding refusal, “Corpse, ju–” he broke off, smothering a laugh and trying to muster up a serious expression, “You need your rest Corpse, how about you walk me home  _ after _ work?”

Before he could object, he let out a yawn, the exhaustion tugging at his consciousness again. 

Corpse groaned, “Ok fine.” he conceded.

The smile that lit up Sykkuno’s face almost made up for the disappointment from the fact that he was leaving already.  Corpse loitered around the kitchen as Sykkuno got ready to leave, stuffing his keys and phone in his pocket and pulling on his face mask.

He turned back to look at Corpse, “I’ll see you later then?” 

The unmistakable hopefulness in Sykkuno’s voice knocked Corpse off kilter for a second and the words caught in his throat, “Uh, y-yeah. I’ll...I’ll be there after work. 8pm right?” he choked out, glad when Sykkuno didn't seem to notice his sudden, uncalled for moment of turmoil.

“Mhm!” Sykkuno hesitated for a second before pulling down his mask and giving Corpse a kiss on the cheek, “Bye Corpse!”

“Bye Sykkuno." Corpse called after him, his response time awful enough that he wasn’t sure if Sykkuno even heard him.

He touched his cheek, smiling to himself like an idiot. He could get used to this, the positive human interaction. It could’ve lasted even longer if his depressive episodes weren’t so goddamn draining. He slept a good 8 hours last night and he still felt weak from exhaustion.

Corpse began to head back towards his bedroom, noticing the shattered remains of a plate sitting in his trash can. Did Sykkuno clean that up? 

The contents of his room were barely visible even with the streaks of light seeping from the gaps in the curtains, but a closer glance found the book Corpse threw during his tantrum yesterday stacked neatly on his bookshelf. The notebook placed back onto his desk. Pencils and pens pack into their holder.

What an angel.

Corpse wandered into his bathroom, smiling when he noticed there were two toothbrushes in the toothbrush holder. He liked the way it looked.

It all felt so natural. The two pillows on his bed. The extra blanket because Sykkuno was always cold. Corpse unconsciously kept to one side of the bed instead of sprawling out in the middle of it like he usually did.

Sleep was easy. Waking up was not. 

Depression naps never ended well. In general there was already no way to not feel like shit waking up at 2pm, adding a dash of depressive self loathing just made it exponentially worse. 

Corpse contemplated staying in bed, it’s not like he had anything to do anyway. He scrolled idly through his mental checklist. Take out trash. Do laundry. Eat something. Nothing urgent enough to prompt him to drag himself out of bed.

He grudgingly sat up when he remembered that he was seeing Sykkuno later. When Sykkuno asked about his day he didn’t want his answer to be that he’d laid in bed and scrolled through his phone all day.

Lack of otherwise fruitful stimulus led Corpse to micromanage the color scheme of his spreadsheets, stubbornly trying to make pink and green look good together. It was a good way to distract from the pitfall of having nothing to do. So many days like this had been spent inside his own head.

Time moved more slowly as the day went on.

6pm.

7pm.

7:45

7:46

7:47

“Hey Sykkuno.”

“Corpse! You’re here early!” 

Corpse leaned against the register, smiling even though he knew Sykkuno couldn’t see it from under his mask. 

“How was your day?”

“Well, um, there weren’t really that many customers today.” Sykkuno sounded slightly disappointed, “And the new employee already quit so it’s just me again.”

“That sucks. I’m sorry Sykkuno.”

“It’s okay! I mean, with the virus and everything this is kinda expected.”

Corpse frowned to himself, Sykkuno seemed actually upset despite his outward composure. A type of agitation going beyond just a bad day at work. Did something happen?

Cheer him up. Say something. Anything.

“I’m gonna buy a baguette.” Corpse blurted.

Sykkuno tilted his head slightly, “Eh?”

He gestured at the shelf of breads behind Sykkuno, “The two remaining ones, I’ll buy those.”

“W-Wha...why are–” Sykkuno tilted his head, “Why are you buying a baguette?”

Sykkuno looked so genuinely confused that Corpse had to bite back a laugh, “Because I want one. Come on Sykkuno, I’m a customer, you have to do what I say.”

“Oh! Right.” Sykkuno gave a flustered laugh, rushing to grab them off the shelf, “Here.”

Corpse raised an eyebrow, “Price?”

“It’s fine, they would’ve been given away at the end of the day anyway. You don’t have to pay.”

Corpse leaned forward, looking Sykkuno in the eye, “Sykkuno.”

Sykkuno shifted nervously under Corpse’s gaze, “Yes?”

“How much for the goddamn baguettes.”

“It’s, uh,” Sykkuno smothered a laugh and cleared his throat, “Your total today will be $6.24. Would you like your receipt?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Corpse took the baguettes and walked towards the door, drawing a surprised noise from Sykkuno.

“Huh? Wh–”

He flipped the sign on the door so that the ‘CLOSED’ side was displayed, “It’s 8pm, you’re officially free. Do you want me to sweep the floor or wipe the counters?”

~

“Did something happen at work?”

Sykkuno looked startled, “Oh, uh, I mean, not really. Um, why do you ask?”

“You look sad.” Corpse said bluntly, not bothering to beat around the bush, “Tell me what happened.”

“You know, with the spike in cases and everything...my grandma is thinking of closing down the bakery.”

“What?” Corpse stumbled over his feet and Sykkuno reached out to steady him, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sykkuno didn’t remove his hand from Corpse’s arm as he continued walking, “I didn’t find out until today, and it’s not really that big of a deal. They were gonna retire anyway I think.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.” Sykkuno said cheerfully, “My grandma recommended me for another job already.”

“The accounting job she wanted you to take.” Corpse remembered.

“Mhm!”

“You told me it didn’t pay well.”

Sykkuno gave Corpse a little nudge, “Don’t worry about it Corpse, it’s not for forever.”

Corpse decided not to comment on the number of zeros on Sykkuno’s water bill. 

Feeling the cold of Sykkuno’s fingers even through his sleeve, Corpse twined their fingers together and fit their interlocked hands into his jacket pocket.

“Uh,” Sykkuno slowed awkwardly when they came up to the intersection where they would usually walk home, glancing up at Corpse.

“Come over?” Corpse offered.

“S-Sure! I wasn’t sure if….I mean, I would feel bad about inviting you to my place since...oh yeah! I just found out that the pipes under my sink are leaking. That’s why my water bill is so high. It also explains the wet carpet smell.”

Corpse laughed lightly, “Well, if you ever want to get away from the wet carpet smell you can come over anytime.”

“Oh, uh, thanks Corpse!”

“Let me show you a secret.” 

Once they made it up to his front door Corpse reached for a brick just under his porch light, pulling it out, “I keep an extra key behind here, so you can come in whenever you feel like it.”

“Oh!” Sykkuno looked startled for a second before his hand raised to cover his face, a gesture that told Corpse he was smiling despite the mask hiding his face, “Um, I– thank you for trusting me, Corpse!” 

The absolute delight in Sykkuno’s voice distracted Corpse for a moment, and he fumbled awkwardly with his keys before finally getting the door unlocked. 

Corpse reluctantly let go of Sykkuno’s hand as they walked in, not exactly sure when he had grown so fond of physical contact. He usually avoided people. He had preferred a good six feet of distance even before the pandemic started.

He sat down, resting his arm on the back of the couch to leave space for Sykkuno to curl up next to him.

“Tell me about your day?”

Sykkuno folded himself comfortably against Corpse’s side, letting out a thoughtful hum before he perked up and began speaking, “Well, when I was walking to work today I saw a pigeon eating a french fry………”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a bit scattered, I wrote it two sentences at a time between exams and holiday festivities. I hope to update more regularly in the future ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those expressing discomfort with the "shipping" aspect, it isn't my intention to cast excessively romantic overtones on their dynamic nor will I ever write anything of a sexual nature. This is just an appreciation of their friendship and the interactions often reflect my interactions with my best friend.

“I should probably go soon right?”

“No.”

Corpse didn’t lift his head from Sykkuno’s chest, his arms coiling even tighter around his waist. It was comfortable like this, despite the fact that their legs dangled slightly off the edge of the cushion. He would need to invest in a larger couch.

Sykkuno gave in for a few minutes, continuing to pet Corpse’s hair. 

Another sigh.

“I have to go Corpse.”

Corpse suppressed the urge to whine like a child, instead wriggling his arms out from under Sykkuno and pushing himself to a sitting position. Now free from Corpse’s weight, Sykkuno sat up and stretched.

“You know you can just sleep over right? I mean, unless you have other stuff to do.” Corpse rushed out, suddenly feeling nervous, “I-It’s only 9:30...wha-um, why did you need to go home again?”

“I need to take a shower.”

Corpse stared at Sykkuno, not sure if he was joking or not.

“You need to take a shower.” he repeated.

Sykkuno nodded earnestly, “Mhm!”

Corpse let out a huff, collapsing against Sykkuno and knocking him onto his back again. Sykkuno let out a yelp as his head hit the couch cushion, “W-Wha...Corpse! What are you–”

“You don’t need to go home then.” Corpse mumbled against the fabric of Sykkuno’s shirt, “You can shower here. I even have hot water.”

“I–” Sykkuno paused for a second, “My shower water isn’t that cold?” he offered.

“You’re a horrible liar Sykkuno.”

Sykkuno giggled, the sound vibrating against Corpse’s ear. Corpse decided that he liked laying against Sykkuno’s chest, feeling the vibration whenever he spoke and the movement whenever he laughed. It was comforting. 

“I still need to get up if I’m gonna shower.” Sykkuno reminded Corpse.

“Five more minutes.” Corpse grumbled, not moving. 

Ignoring Corpse’s drowsy complaints, Sykkuno pried Corpse’s arms from around his waist, surprisingly strong despite looking rather thin. He squirmed free and rolled off the couch and onto the ground.

Corpse pouted half heartedly down at Sykkuno, “Fine.” he sat up and yawned, “I’ll get you a change of clothes and a towel.”

~

Corpse faintly registered the sound of the door clicking open through his dozing state. He opened his eyes when he didn’t hear anything after that, seeing the silhouette of a person walking quietly towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

Sykkuno turned around, startled, “Corpse! I thought you were asleep? I mean, if you were asleep i didn't want to bother you...”

“Nah.” Corpse gestured for Sykkuno to join him on the bed, “Just resting my eyes for a bit. You don’t need to leave, come here.”

Sykkuno approached the bed and Corpse automatically pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Sykkuno’s waist. Sykkuno settled comfortably in Corpse's lap and melted against his chest, skin pleasantly warm and a hum of contentment on his lips.

Corpse chuckled, “When was the last time you took a hot shower?”

“Before I moved out for college.” Sykkuno mumbled, drowsily nuzzling against Corpse’s neck.

Corpse smiled fondly, charmed by the soporific effect the warm water had on Sykkuno. He was so cute when he was sleepy.

He leaned back against the headboard, absently running his fingers through Sykkuno’s damp hair. This…….whatever this was, it felt right. It felt good. It worked.

Corpse let himself imagine that Sykkuno really did live here, no longer having to worry about leaky pipes and grumpy landlords. No wet carpet smell. No overly exorbitant water bills. No having to say goodbye to each other every night. After all, he couldn’t convince Sykkuno to stay over forever. Not if he was technically still a guest.

He could ask him to move in. 

How would he ask? What would he say?

He could tell Sykkuno he had space in his dresser and room in his closet. He could remind Sykkuno that he had working air conditioning and hot water. He could tell him he smelled nice, and that it helped his insomnia more than any aromatherapy ever could.

“What time is it?” a sleepy voice mumbled, pulling Corpse out of his pondering.

“Don’t worry about it love, go back to sleep.” Corpse soothed, stroking Sykkuno’s hair gently.

Sykkuno stilled for a moment before he stirred again, this time pulling away from Corpse with a reluctant sigh.

“You said you had work to do.” Sykkuno recalled.

“Are you- what the fuck? When did I say that?” Corpse tugged Sykkuno back towards him, gently massaging the base of his skull in an effort to coax him back into somnolence. 

Sykkuno leaned into his touch, but resisted being pulled back against Corpse’s chest, “When we were cleaning up today, you mentioned that you had 52 emails or something like that.”

“I–” Corpse was speechless with disbelief,  _ he _ didn’t even remember himself saying that. He considered putting it off until tomorrow, but relented once Sykkuno grabbed his computer off the nightstand and dropped it into Corpse’s lap.

“I’ll get my laptop and we can do work together!” Sykkuno said cheerfully, “I need to write up a financial statement and balance sheet for the bakery.”

“I…..is it decided? That the bakery is closing?”

“I think so.” Sykkuno joined him again, laptop in hand, “I have to go there and pack up tomorrow." he glanced at his computer and frowned, "Do you…...uh, do you happen to need five dozen eggs? I– they can’t fit in my fridge.”

Corpse laughed, “Sure.”

Sykkuno typed away on his computer, “Oh, uh, what about butter? And sugar.”

“Sure, sure.”

Sykkuno looked up sheepishly, “Uh…….30 pounds of flour?”

“Anything you want,” Corpse agreed, laughing slightly, “I won't need to go shopping for months. Not that I ever did that anyway.”

His hand covered his face as he giggled, a grateful smile still lingering on his face when he lowered his hand to continue typing, “Thanks Corpse.”

“Of course.”

Corpse began the tedious task of clicking through his emails, half of his brain allocated to reading line after line of monotonous text and the other half directed towards the person sitting next to him.

The way Sykkuno blinked more rapidly when he was thinking hard about something. The way he tilted his head when he was confused. The way the typing movement had Sykkuno’s arm periodically brush against Corpse’s. The soft clicking of his keyboard. The way the weight of Sykkuno’s head against his shoulder increased as the typing sound receded.

He was asleep.

“Sykkuno?” Corpse said softly. 

No response.

The blurred glow of the computer screen separated Sykkuno’s peaceful expression from the darkness surrounding it. A perfect picture of innocence. With the cuteness of his personality dormant, Corpse noticed for the first time how pretty Sykkuno was.

A fond smile played across his face as he moved Sykkuno’s hands off the keyboard and gently closed the laptop, trying his best not to accidentally wake him up.

Corpse hooked one arm under Sykkuno’s legs and the other around his back, carefully shifting him so that his back rested against the mattress instead of the headboard. His hand moved up to support Sykkuno’s head as he shoved a pillow under it.

He took one last look at Sykkuno’s face before reaching for his bedside lamp and clicking it off. 

“Good night Sykkuno. Sleep well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the comments actually made me cry. Thank you all 🖤


	8. Chapter 8

Corpse slowly found his way to consciousness, jostled awake by movement next to him. 

“Mmm? S’kkuno?” his voice came out near incoherent, but the movement stopped and Corpse felt a gentle hand brush his tangled hair away from his face.

“Go back to sleep,” Sykkuno’s voice said, the lulling timbre of his voice imploring him to return back to unconsciousness, “I’ll visit again tonight.”

That woke him up.

“You’re leaving?” Corpse’s voice was raspy with sleep, the syllables of his speech blending into one low, rumbling sound. He struggled to open his eyes, mind still fogged with sleep.

“I should pack up the bakery.”

Corpse gave a grunt of disapproval, the noise sounding more like a growl than any sound a human would make, “Not now Sy, m’ tired.” 

“You can keep on sleeping,” Sykkuno assured, “Just, uh, loosen your grip?”

As the fogginess of sleep faded, his sense of bodily awareness returned enough for him to realize he was sprawled half on top of Sykkuno and his arms had found their way to their default arrangement around Sykkuno’s waist.

“What time is it.” he mumbled, shifting so he wasn’t laying so heavily on top of Sykkuno.

“8am I think.”

“You don’t have a shift today. Why are you getting up so early?”

“Oh yeah! I forgot.”

Corpse couldn’t help but laugh, “Sleep in for once Sykkuno. You’re finally free of your nightmarish work hours.”

“It wasn’t–” Sykkuno paused before breaking into a laugh, evidently deciding not to argue with Corpse, “Having to open every morning and close up at night was kinda hard.” he admitted.

“Mhm, you can sleep in now.” Corpse mumbled, tugging Sykkuno back towards him and closing his eyes.

Sykkuno shifted onto his side and let himself be pulled back against Corpse’s chest. Corpse hummed in contentment and rested his forehead lightly against the back of Sykkuno’s head, one arm still slung lazily over him.

Corpse drifted in and out of consciousness, more aware every time he strayed back towards awakeness. 

He could feel Sykkuno trailing his fingers absently against his wrist, his hazy state of consciousness finding the listless patterns pleasant on his skin. Corpse snuggled closer, breathing in to discover the scent of his shampoo clinging to Sykkuno. The corner of his mouth curled up drowsily and he nuzzled against Sykkuno’s hair, inhaling again.

The movement of Sykkuno’s fingers against his arm paused.

“Good morning Corpse.” Sykkuno greeted, voice clear enough to indicate that he’d been up for some time already.

“Good morning.” Corpse yawned, reluctantly pushing himself into a sitting position, “What time is it?”

“Just past nine. You have work today right?”

“Yeah.”

Sykkuno got up and began gathering his things from off the kitchen counter, letting the light from the living room filter into Corpse’s room. 

“I’m gonna go get things cleaned up at the bakery,” Sykkuno called from the other room, returning after a few seconds to retrieve his computer from the night stand, “Do you, uh…...call me when you’re off work?”

Corpse glanced up at Sykkuno, almost fully awake now, “Do you want me to walk you there?”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Sykkuno assured, “I know you don’t actually feel like going outside right now.”

Corpse chuckled, “You know me so well.”

Sykkuno smiled brightly, dropping a kiss on Corpse’s head before flitting out the door, “Bye Corpse!”

Corpse mumbled a goodbye he was sure Sykkuno didn’t hear, trudging to his bathroom to get ready for the day.

~

Corpse found that it was easier to keep his spirits up nowadays. Just knowing that not all aspects of his life sucked did wonders for his mental state. 

Now that Corpse had experienced that state of contentment bordering on happiness, he found that he had more motivation to do things that would get him there. Whether that was keeping his house clean, cooking his own meals, or just getting up before noon.

He even took the time to fold his laundry, nothing else to do now that he was finished with work for the day. 

“Hm?”

He fished a shirt out of the pile, staring blankly at it for a second before realizing it was Sykkuno’s. He gathered up the clothing Sykkuno left and placed it neatly into an empty drawer, barely aware that he had a smile plastered on his face. 

Should he call Sykkuno? Corpse hadn’t seen Sykkuno since that afternoon, when he had let himself into Corpse’s house and quietly unloaded enough eggs and flour to feed a small village before smiling sheepishly at Corpse and leaving. He had still been wearing Corpse's sweater.

If Corpse hadn’t been in a meeting at the time he probably would’ve burst into laughter. Or at least helped him lug everything inside. It made him strangely happy to see Sykkuno coming and going so casually, not even bothering to notify Corpse or ring the doorbell.

His phone rang. 

Corpse immediately abandoned the pile of clothing on his bed, making it from his room to the kitchen in record time.

“Hello?”

“Uh, hey Corpse!”

“Sykkuno.” Corpse found himself smiling again, wandering into the living room and flopping onto the couch, “I was just about to call you.”

Corpse heard a short giggling sound before Sykkuno cleared his throat and continued talking, “Oh. um, anyways, yeah. I just, ummm could- can I stay over?”

Corpse chuckled, “You can stay forever if you want.”

“Wh- Huh?”

“Nothing. Yeah, of course. You’re always welcome.”

“Thanks Corpse!”

Corpse frowned, slightly uneasy at how relieved Sykkuno sounded, “Why are you asking?”

“Oh, I just, you know...my apartment is kinda cold at night…”

Corpse picked irately at a loose thread on his couch, fully suspicious now.

“You’re doing the thing.” he accused.

“What?”

“The thing where you talk around the question because you don’t know how to lie.”

“What?” Sykkuno gave a nervous laugh, “It’s no-”

“Tell me what happened Sykkuno.” Corpse deadpanned.

“My window is broken so it’s kinda cold”

Corpse raised an eyebrow, “Your window is broken.”

“Yes? Uh, I mean, I think someone broke in while I was gon-”

“What the fuck?” Corpse jumped to his feet, “Someone  _ broke into your apartment _ ? Why the fuck didn’t you start with that?”

“No, it’s not- nothing was taken-”

Corpse stormed out of the house, the sound of the door slamming angrily behind him cutting Sykkuno off.

“Corpse?” 

“Shit, Sykkuno. I thought you were talking about the rusted hinges or some shit like that. I can’t believe you fucking- just...I’m on my way. Pack whatever you need, you’re moving out of that goddamn apartment.”

The line went silent for a moment.

“Corpse, you really don’t have to-”

“Didn’t I warn you that it was dangerous to live in such a crime heavy area?” Corpse seethed, speeding up until he was almost jogging down the street.

“I kno-”

“I also said that you should never live on the ground floor of an apartment building right?”

“Yes, Cor-”

“You could’ve lived with your grandparents, or used the office in the bakery as a bedroom. Or just moved into that room on the third floor, even that would be safer. I just…” 

Corpse sighed, swallowing back the panic rising in his throat, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you. I just…..I just worry. Every time a crime happens. Every time a robbery is reported. I hated seeing that and knowing that it could’ve been you. And now that it’s actually happened…I…...what if it had been something worse than just a break in?”

“But it wasn’t.” Sykkuno soothed, “I’m fine. Everything in my house is fine. Except for the window. And all the plants on the windowsill. Uhm, but, uh, other than that!” 

Corpse smiled weakly, “Yeah. I’m almost there. Are you packed up?”

“I think so.”

Corpse hung up as he walked up to Sykkuno’s apartment building, giving the duffel bag Sykkuno was holding a disapproving glance. 

“Is that all you have?”

“I mean, it’s just clothing and stuff right?”

“No, we’re gonna pack up everything,” Corpse walked past Sykkuno and into his apartment, “You were gonna move out next month anyway right? You can stay with me until you find a new place.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Corpse carefully wedged a third potted plant in the crook of his elbow, glancing mournfully at the plants that had been trampled during the break in. There was only one window in the tiny apartment, and all the sunlight loving plants clustered around it had been knocked over and crushed.

“I think that’s all.” 

A duffel bag of clothes and seven potted plants. It only took one trip to uproot Sykkuno’s entire life and drop it into Corpse’s house.

Sykkuno looked uncharacteristically nervous as he walked into Corpse’s home. It was hard to believe that this was the same person that showed up unannounced and deposited a box of eggs just this afternoon.

“Thank you for doing this Corpse, you didn’t have to.” Sykkuno said, demeanor too stiff and too polite for Corpse’s liking.

“Of course I had to, what are friends for right?” Corpse tried for a cheerful tone, but he felt increasingly distressed as he watched Sykkuno shift nervously and shrink into himself. 

Corpse felt a twinge of irritation at his own incompetence, Sykkuno always knew what to say when he was upset, why couldn’t he do the same?

Not really sure what to say, Corpse opted to pull Sykkuno into a hug, drawing a surprised yelp out of him.

“Wha- Corpse? What are you…?”

“You looked upset.” Corpse said.

He could feel Sykkuno relax, the tension in his body releasing as he slumped weakly against Corpse.

Sykkuno’s hands clutched feebly at the back of Corpse’s jacket as he returned the hug, still trembling slightly, “I’m sorry.” he mumbled, “ I.....can you……..can you say it again? That it’s okay for me to be here? That you like it when I’m around? I k-know you say that everytime I come over...but-”

“I like having you here.” Corpse responded immediately, “I like talking to you, I like hearing your voice, I like being able to see you, being able to touch you, or even just knowing that you’re nearby. You can stay as long as you want and it still won’t be as long as I want you to stay, because if it were up to me you would stay forever.”

Sykkuno gave a quiet laugh, and Corpse couldn’t help but smile at the sound. He pulled away and smiled gratefully at Corpse, “Did you have dinner yet?”

Corpse let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, almost weak with relief, “Not yet. I, uh, I have frozen ravioli if you want to make that. Or we could make something else, I don’t really care.”

“No, um, ravioli sounds good! Where should I, uh,” Sykkuno gestured awkwardly at his bag.

“You can just leave the bag on our bed for now, we can unpack later.” Corpse said absently, beginning to pull ingredients out of the refrigerator, “Broccoli or cauliflower?” he asked, falling easily back into their comfortable routine.

“Cauliflower,” Sykkuno called back.

Corpse hummed in acknowledgement, setting out the last of the ingredients and turning to call for Sykkuno. He bit back the words when he saw Sykkuno knelt by the window, carefully arranging his plants on the windowsill.

He smiled fondly, a warm feeling blooming in his chest. He was hit by a sudden urge to just ask Sykkuno to stay for good. To tell him that he was serious when he said he wanted him to stay forever. He didn't need to find another apartment. He didn't need to move out next month.

Corpse turned back around and began filling a pot with water. Not tonight, he decided. For now he would be content just having Sykkuno here, he could worry about the rest later.

  
  
  
  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will probably be the last, thank you for sticking around this long! I hope to start another story after this so you aren't free from me yet :)


	9. Chapter 9

Corpse opened his eyes to see Sykkuno sitting up next to him, one hand petting his hair and the other tapping away on his computer. The feeling of fingers threading through this hair was pleasant, but the sensation was almost too light and gentle to be satisfying to his slowly awakening brain.

Corpse turned his head to nuzzle against Sykkuno’s hand, leaning further into the touch. He made a noise of discontent when Sykkuno retracted his hand.

“Oh, uh, good morning Corpse! Did- did I wake you up?”

“No.” Corpse narrowed his eyes against the soft glow of the laptop, “What time is it?”

“Almost nine.” Sykkuno noticed Corpse squinting and shut the laptop, letting the room go dark again, “Do you have work today?”

“Not really.” Corpse closed his eyes again and rested his forehead against the side of Sykkuno’s leg, hoping Sykkuno would take the hint and start playing with his hair again, “What were you looking at?”

“I was just checking for any apartments around the area…”

Corpse felt his heart stutter, panic rising in his chest. Calm down. Calm. Breathe. Why was he freaking out? Calm. 

“...I wanted to stay within a mile or two from here since I didn’t wanna be too far from- err, uhm, anyway, all of them are almost twice as expensive as my old one.”

“Mhm.” Corpse ignored the erratic beating of his heart, thankful that Sykkuno wouldn’t be able to notice his anxiety through the darkness.

“I mean, unless I were to move back into my old building…?” Sykkuno began tentatively.

“No.” Corpse said immediately.

Sykkuno didn’t argue, tangling his fingers back into Corpse’s hair and brushing his thumb over his cheek in an almost grateful gesture. 

“Is…..is it okay for me to stay for a bit longer then?” he asked, the nervousness in his voice pulling at something in Corpse’s chest, “Just until I find somewhere to go?”

_ You don’t have to leave. I wasn’t kidding when I told you I wanted you to stay forever. You can stay. Stay. Please stay _ . Corpse bit his tongue, “You can stay as long as you want.” 

“Thank you Corpse.”

  
  


~

“What’s that room for?”

“Hm?” Corpse looked to where Sykkuno gestured, “Oh, that’s a guest room. I don’t think I’ve gone in there since I moved in. I don’t even remember if there’s any furniture.”

Sykkuno rinsed out the last dish, handing it over to Corpse, who dried it and placed it back into the cabinet.

“Can I go in?”

“My house is your house Sykkuno, go where you want.”

Sykkuno gave a flustered laugh, walking towards the room and glancing back at Corpse to see if he was coming.

Corpse legitimately didn’t remember how the spare room looked, and was surprised to see that it was fully furnished. Bed with no sheets. Dresser with no clothes. A healthy coating of dust covering every surface.

He couldn’t help but smile seeing Sykkuno look over everything with such wonder, he really did appreciate all the small things. 

“Hey, uh, Sykkuno. Do- do you know what I just thought of?”

“Hm?”

Corpse swallowed nervously, no backing out now.

“If you can’t...find an apartment. You could live here? I mean, I have a spare room and everything. It- it would cost a lot less. Since you wouldn’t be renting.”

He tried his best not to look nervous as Sykkuno stared at him in shock, stunned into silence.

“Sy…...Sykkuno?”

Sykkuno finally broke out of it, “Corpse...I...I…….how would that even work?”

“You would just stay. Here. And, um...you would pay for half the utilities and living costs. We could move you into this room. You would have your own space and everything.” Corpse rushed out, brain grasping at anything else he could say, “You...you would…..”

“Are you sure? This...I know you like having space to yourself,” Sykkuno started, sounding hesitant, “You don’t have to feel obligated to help me, it would be a burden to you to have someone else intruding on your life all the time.”

“No it wouldn’t.” Corpse insisted immediately, “You’re never intrusive. You know when to let me be alone, you know when I feel like talking and what to say when I’m not feeling well, you know when I just want to feel someone else next to me and never put any pressure on me to fill silences with conversation. It doesn’t feel like work to be around you and it’ll never be a burden to have you around.”

Sykkuno looked slightly taken aback by Corpse’s sudden tangent, tilting his head and blinking rapidly like he always did when he was confused.

Corpse snorted, the tension in his body dissipating, “Why do you look so confused? I thought the fact that I liked having you around was obvious?”

Sykkuno laughed, ducking his head in embarrassment, “No, I just- are you- are you sure?”

“Of course. Welcome to your new home Sy.” 

Corpse enveloped Sykkuno in a hug, squeezing tightly and nuzzling affectionately against his hair. He could hear Sykkuno’s laugh next to his ear, the noise sounding clearer without Sykkuno shielding his face with his hand.

Sykkuno pulled away, smiling gratefully at Corpse, “Thank you, I- should I move my stuff into this room?”

“Nah, this room is a mess. We can clean it out tomorrow.”

~

“The bed stuff finally arrived!”

Corpse glanced over the soft greens of the new blankets and pillows, “Cute.”

“Do you have a vacuum or duster?”

“No, we can get one tomorrow.”

~

“I can finally breathe in here without sneezing!”

Corpse laughed, “Yeah, I have no idea how that much dust gathered. Did you want to go look at curtains today or another time?”

“I have work today, we can go on the weekend?”

~

“We should probably call someone to check the plumbing on this bathroom.”

Sykkuno pulled the curtains open and closed, testing to make sure they worked properly, “Is there something wrong with the bathroom?”

“It’s better to be safe, I’ll hire someone to come by next week.”

~

Corpse frowned at the thermostat, “I think the heating in this room is broken.”

“I’ll be fine. It isn’t that cold.”

“Nah, sleep with me for now, I’ll call someone to fix it.”

~

“Do you want me to move my stuff into the other room?”

“I’m tired. We can do that tomorrow.”

~

“Hm? How did I…?”

“You fell asleep on the couch, I carried you here.”

Sykkuno blinked sleepily, “Did you want me to go to the other room?”

“It’s late Sy, just go to sleep.”

~

Corpse stared in frustration at his code, why the fuck was the thing not working how it should? It was already past twelve but his stubbornness wouldn’t let him go to sleep until he finished with work. 

He felt Sykkuno shift next to him, “Corpse? Oh. Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah. You should move to the bed, it’s a lot more comfortable than the couch” Corpse responded absently, “I’ll join you in a bit.”

“You’ll- huh?” Sykkuno blinked in confusion, “Wh-where am I sleeping?”

Corpse frowned at his computer, only half listening to Sykkuno, “In our room? But if you’re too tired you can go back to sleep and I’ll carry you to bed once I’m finished.”

“I meant- oh, um, nevermind.” Sykkuno broke off, a small smile on his face, “Yeah, I think I’ll move to the bed.”

He got up and pressed a kiss to Corpse’s forehead, “Good night Corpse.”

“Night Sy, love you.”

“Love you too. Don’t….don’t stay up too late?”

“I won’t.” Corpse promised, “I’ll be there before you know it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate each and every one of you.
> 
> Note: I've been workshopping ideas for another story and was leaning towards something with more drastically fictional elements(e.g vampires, mafia, retelling of myths and/or fairy tales, general alternate universe things) but nothing is set in stone. If you'd like to leave suggestions feel free! (I won't be able to follow through on all requests sadly) Thank you 🖤

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are greatly appreciated~


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